Time's Shadow
by Psamathe
Summary: Set in Season 10 prior to the Pegusus Project. During their search for the Sagraal, SG-1 unleash a new horror. A team based fic with some S/J, D/V UST.
1. Chapter 1

"Carter go!"

She could still hear him yelling.

She could still feel his blood drying on her hands.

There hadn't been time to save him.

There hadn't been time to do anything other than run.

It was behind her somewhere, feasting on its kill. He had sacrificed himself to buy her some time and she hoped to God that it would be enough.

A crash. A scream. It was coming for her.

Her legs were on fire as she tried to run just that little bit faster. Body pushed beyond the point of exhaustion, she realised she couldn't go much further.

She had to be close now. Please. God.

The attack came without warning.

Vicious. It would kill without regret, without mercy … It tried to rip her throat out, the claws grazing the tender skin as she threw herself backwards. It screamed again as it caught the scent of blood in the air... as it could almost taste its kill.

She couldn't die here. She wouldn't die here.

She found her gun but a combination of sweat and blood made it difficult to pull the trigger and the weapon almost slipped from her fingers. Knowing she couldn't kill the creature, she blew one of its legs off. Not enough... not nearly enough to stop it coming after her.

Slower now. Giving her the chance to draw ahead. She wasn't quite in position but she might not get another chance. It was now or never.

The device fit into the palm of her hand. So small … for something that could theoretically save the human race. She set it down carefully and stood back. The air in front of her distorted slightly. It was the only indication she had that anything had changed.

Another scream and she realised that she had waited too long. Injured it might have been but it was still strong, still relentless. She darted to one side, only to find herself caught in its remaining front leg. It held her in the air for a few seconds, before throwing her into the nearest tree. She knew she had to kill it. While it was alive, she couldn't risk leaving. She couldn't let it follow her.

Pulling her face out of the mud, she fumbled for the knife that was her remaining weapon. She'd seen this creature kill her best friend. There was enough anger in her heart to rip its guts out with her bare hands.

It came for her again. Rearing up, its high pitched scream threatened to burst her eardrums. She darted forward, slashing downwards with the knife as she attempted to slice it from sternum to tail. The protective shell was thinner here but it was still like cutting through leather. Something grazed along her back and Sam sincerely hoped it was its claws and not its venomous fangs. It thrashed as it felt the knife dig into its soft tissues and she felt her shoulder wrenched out of its socket, but she'd done enough. Ichor flowed freely from the wound, drenching her. It rolled onto its back. Dead… or so she hoped.

They'd found out that a fight at close quarters was the only way to kill these things. Even a nuclear attack… But she forced the memories from her mind. Holding her injured arm close to her body, she stumbled away from the creature trying to find the active device. She had been thrown some distance and it wasn't easy to see. Behind her, the creature twitched in its final death dance.

Bleeding, hurting, she stumbled into empty space.


	2. Chapter 2

**Eight Months Earlier**

Daniel hated it when she watched him. Research was a delicate business. He needed all of his concentration to read the old manuscripts, to try to make sense of words written centuries ago. Babel Fish wasn't very useful when you were trying to translate cuneiform, however peace and quiet was essential. Whatever else he might have said about Vala, she was neither a peaceful nor a quiet person. And he really wished that she would go away and find something else to do.

Even as he read, he could hear her walking around his office, picking up the odd artefact and studying it. Assessing the value, probably. It was a damn good thing she wasn't allowed to leave the SGC otherwise he'd probably lose half of his collection to the antique dealers of Colorado Springs.

It was late but he just needed to turn over one more page. He'd been collecting books all of his life. Somehow, somewhere, there had to be a clue to the location of the Sangraal. It felt like he'd been searching forever. Ever since the Ori had followed himself and Vala back to the Milky Way, Daniel had been trying to find a way to hurt them. He didn't want to destroy them, not yet… he wanted them to feel pain before they were annihilated completely.

He should sleep he knew that. In his current condition he might miss something important and that just wasn't acceptable. Daniel knew he was driving himself too hard but with Jack O'Neill gone, there was no one around to stop him. Whatever else people might say about him, Jack had cared about the people on his team; a little too much in some cases. Daniel didn't feel the same way about the 'new' SG-1. Sure Mitchell would stick his head around the door once in a while and drag them all off for some kind of team building exercise. Breakfast, basketball… the man wasn't short of ideas but Mitchell was fooling himself if he thought he could ever hope to emulate the original SG-1.

Daniel had stayed for one reason only.

The Ori.

All this was his fault.

They had defeated the Goa'uld, the galaxy should have been at peace. But no. Daniel Jackson had screwed it up again. The new enemy was worse than the Goa'uld, more relentless than the Replicators… And all because Daniel Jackson couldn't keep leave well enough alone.

But every enemy had a flaw, Jack had taught him that much. Daniel was determined to find the Ori's Achilles Heel, and exploit it. He had the most extensive library outside the British Museum, why the hell couldn't he find anything…

Frustrated, Daniel threw the book he was currently studying across the room, narrowly missing Vala.

"I hope that wasn't personal?" she smirked.

"I'm sorry I…"

Daniel didn't really want to explain to her. He just didn't think she'd understand. How could she? It was doubtful that Vala had ever worked for anything in her life. She stole what she wanted… paid for it if she really had to. But work? Being allowed to tag along with SG-1 was probably the nearest she had ever gotten to a legitimate profession. Daniel couldn't deny that, on occasion, she had proved to be useful. As much as he hated to admit it, she had probably earned her place on the team.

Sometimes he wondered if his annoyance wasn't based in the fact that Vala had endured what Sha're had not. He couldn't understand why she had survived when his wife… There was something very wrong about that. Sha're had never hurt anyone… had never wanted to hurt anyone.

But Vala did deserve his sympathy. Whatever her personality flaws, she had been host to a Goa'uld and no one, but no one should have to go through that. Daniel still remembered Sam's reaction to the experience… and she was one of the strongest people he knew. The Goa'uld hadn't been the only ones to take advantage of Vala's body. He wasn't sure if what the Ori had done to her constituted rape. Then they had stolen Vala's child and altered the baby in ways that Daniel tried not to think about. It spoke volumes about the terror they were facing. That the Ori would use a helpless child … It made him sick.

"It's late, I should get some sleep," he said, hoping that she'd accept the explanation for his uncharacteristic behaviour.

"Your place or mine?" Vala asked, brightly.

"My place."

"Goody."

"On my own."

She pouted at him, but Daniel suspected that she wasn't that disappointed. Vala seemed to enjoy the thrill of the chase. He wasn't playing 'hard to get' on purpose but his disinterest only seemed to spur her on. Sometimes he found himself wondering what would happen if he responded to her attentions. Would she run in the opposite direction? Somehow, he doubted it. Whatever … it wasn't an experiment he was willing to be a part of.

"I'll see you in the morning," he told her.

"It's a date."

"No, it will be breakfast in the commissary with Sam, Mitchell and Teal'c."

"Whatever."

Shaking his head, Daniel left her in the lab. He was so tired that he didn't even care that she was alone with his stuff. Given his exhaustion, driving home was probably a dangerous thing to do, but staying on the base wasn't an option … not with Vala prowling the corridors. Besides, the other half of his library was in his house and there were books that he needed to reference. At least he'd have some peace a quiet while he did so.

XOXOXO

There were times in her life when Sam felt like she'd stepped into a looking glass world. And not one where she had long hair and was married to Jack O'Neill. Six impossible things she could manage… and usually before breakfast. It was the seventh that was causing her a headache.

No one could deny that she'd had a certain amount of success when it came to retro engineering alien technology. However, that success had been reliant on the presence of the device in question. Put an alien artefact in front of her and Sam could pretty much find out how it worked and what it was made of. Imaging techniques had come a long way over the last ten years so most of the time she didn't even have to take the artefact apart.

But she needed the artefact. She needed something to analyse, to put through the MRI, she needed more that a document that would allegedly tell her 'all she needed to know'. Daniel had done his best, but ultimately the languages he spoke weren't those equipped to describe the terms of Earth science. All she had to rely on was conjecture and guesswork … not very reassuring when you were trying to recreate an Ancient weapon. Add the fact that it was the Ancient weapon capable of destroy in the Ori…

No pressure.

Sam had a fairly good idea of where the order had come from. There was a certain General in Washington who though she could do anything. Flattering … if the fate of the human race wasn't at stake. Sam's problem was that she had saved the world a few too many times and now the expectations were so high that she couldn't ever hope to meet them. Sometimes she wondered if her life wouldn't be a whole lot easier if she had deliberately screwed up once in a while.

It was going to be another late night. Sam knew she was probably too weary to make any sense of this, but she was too wound up to rest. Taking another sip of her coffee, she went back to the beginning of the translation and started again. It would help if she were back at Area 51 and didn't have any other distractions. Sam was happy to be back on an SG team… even if she did harbour the secret wish that she was in command. But going off world did hamper her research efforts and there were only so many hours in a day.

Sometimes she wondered if she wouldn't be of more use staying in the labs. If it wasn't for Cam's obsession with having the old SG-1 back together again, she might have suggested it. She owed him far too much to desert him now. The obligation was a complex one. There had been very few men injured in the battle over Antarctica. They either died or they survived, but Sam would never forget the sacrifice they had all made. Cameron Mitchell had been one of those who had been willing to surrender his life in order to keep SG-1 safe. He and men like him had given Colonel O'Neill enough time to activate the chair and repel Anubis' attack. For that reason alone, Sam gave Cameron her loyalty.

It wasn't the same though.

Why she had expected it to be, Sam was certain. She didn't think it was just the absence of Jack O'Neill. She missed him. Not in an obvious way. For example, she didn't wander the halls of the SGC expecting him to be there. Sam couldn't really explain the feeling. It was a subtle loss. Her father, Pete … she'd cried for both of them but she'd been unable to shed a tear when General O'Neill had told her that he'd taken the job in Washington. Sometimes she wondered why he'd done it… sometimes she thought she knew.

Thinking about General O'Neill was getting her nowhere, Sam realised. Introspection wasn't going to help her reproduce the Sangraal. As she had done so many times, she pushed all thoughts if him to the back of her mind, but the words on the computer screen still refused to make sense.

The circles of letters and numbers were just gibberish. Even though Daniel swore he'd translated then correctly, Sam wasn't so sure. There had to be a key, something so simple that she couldn't see it, but the letters didn't even make words, the numbers didn't seem to be in any order. Every code she had tried had come up blank. What made it worse was the information they had was incomplete. 'Arthur's mantle' had run out of power before Daniel had been able to extract all of the information it held. The Asgard had given Sam some hints, but they had been unable to reproduce the weapon. Then again, they weren't infallible.

Until they actually found the Sangraal, Sam was committed to spending every spare moment she had studying this thing. She just wished she had a few more spare moments.

It was no good she was going to have to go home. She was achieving absolutely nothing by sitting here and staring at something that refused to make sense. The coffee she had drunk would keep her awake for hours, but at least if she were home, she might be able to relax. Packing up her laptop, Sam made her way out of the mountain. It was dark outside and she found herself pausing for a moment to look at the stars. They seemed so benign.

The light pollution from Colorado Springs meant that she could only see the brightest ones. Sam remembered a time, not so far gone, when she had sat by a lake staring up at a sky that seemed full of them. They had been so clear. She remembered seeing the Milky Way stretching across the sky.

Milky Way. Their galaxy, their home. The place she had sworn to protect. Seen edge on it was a band across the sky when in reality it was a spiral…

A spiral…

The pattern of letters and numbers flashed back into her mind. It was a spiral…

XOXOXO

"Periodic table," Colonel Carter announced with a flourish.

In front of his eyes, the pattern of numbers and letter resolved itself into the familiar block design. General Landry stared at it for a few seconds. He could see why Carter might be pleased that she had solved the riddle, but Hank was mystified as to why she thought it had any bearing on her attempts to reproduce the Sangraal. A quick glance around the room reassured him that his companions were similarly confused. Still this woman was a certified genius, perhaps no one was supposed to understand. Sometimes Hank wondered how his predecessor had put up with it… then again Jack O'Neill was a smarter man that he made himself out to be.

Someone was going to have to ask the dumb question and he could see that no one else was about to do it.

"Colonel Carter, what has this to do with the Sangraal?" he asked.

"Not a lot, sir," she replied. "But I think it tells us a little about what it might be made of."

"And that is?"

Colonel Carter paused and she appeared to study the diagram for a moment.

"I don't know, exactly, sir," she admitted. "I'm assuming the elements involved are those highlighted. They're all common on Earth… except for this one."

One of the squares started to flash.

Hank leaned a little closer, trying to ascertain what point Colonel Carter was trying to make. Luckily, Dr. Jackson seemed to be one-step ahead of everyone else.

"A stone that fell from the sky," he muttered to himself… which didn't make the situation that much clearer.

"Exactly,"Colonel Carter grinned.

"A meteorite?"

"Has to be."

"Didn't you say the Sangraal was also known as the Bloodstone?" Landry asked. Now he could see where this was going, he was able to participate in the debate.

"Yes. It's a glowing red stone… at least in this dimension," Dr. Jackson agreed.

"Could be some kind of fluorescent property of the mineral," Colonel Carter suggested.

"So have either of you any idea where we might find a glowing red meteorite?" Hank questioned.

Without an actual sample, this whole discussion was somewhat academic.

"There's nothing in any of the collections I know of," Carter admitted.

"Actually…" Jackson began.

Landry closed his eyes for a second. He'd known Jackson long enough to realise that the man seemed to have his entire library imprinted on his mind. Having an eidetic memory was one thing but Jackson seemed to be able to take it beyond and into the realms of some kind of circus trick.

"There are several races who buried sacred stones along with their dead."

"You're telling me that we might have to dig this thing up?" Landry snapped.

"Quite possibly, sir, but I think I know where we should look."

"Go on."

"There are three places on Earth where Ancient technology has been discovered; Antarctica, England and Central America."

"And?"

"The Maya venerated meteorites as sacred objects."

"We need more than that. If memory serves me right, the Maya occupied a vast area. You could spend the next ten years searching and still not find anything."

Hank was sure of one thing, they didn't have nearly that long. If Jackson wanted to disappear into the jungle then good luck to him… he was a civilian and there was little Landry could do if the man decided to leave the SGC. However, Hank wasn't about to let the rest of SG1 follow him on some fools errand.

"If I can narrow it down?" Jackson asked.

"Then you can go with my blessing."

XOXOXO

As soon as the briefing came to an end, Daniel started to look through his Grandfather's diaries. With all the reference material at his disposal, some might have thought that it was an odd place to start, but Daniel knew different. He wasn't looking for a well known location, tourist attraction or even one of the current archaeological sites. Sam would already be searching the archive for details of known meteorites and Daniel knew there was no point in reproducing her efforts. Besides, he had a hunch that she wasn't going to find anything. He was certain that if anyone had found a rock that glowed red it would have been big news and either himself, or Sam would have heard of it.

Which was why he was looking through Nick's journals. Like Daniel, he had kept a record of every place he had ever been. And, in another eerie coincidence, most of his Grandfather's research had also been the subject of ridicule. Daniel didn't like to think about the similarities between them. At the time, he had been one of the most vocal opponents of the man's theories. It was only when his own career had taken a spectacular nosedive that Daniel really started to appreciate Nick's point of view. The academic community could be very… up its own ass. Here at the SGC, Daniel was relieved to work with people who would consider the impossible as the most logical solution.

"Found anything?"

Daniel looked up to see Sam holding out a cup of coffee.

"Not yet," he replied, gratefully accepting the beverage. "You?"

"Not yet."

She took the seat beside him, holding her hand out for one of the journals. Daniel guessed her resources had drawn a blank.

Nick had been in the field for a long time and there were a lot of books to go through so Daniel appreciated the help. Sometimes the sheer volume of information got a little overwhelming.

They worked through the night. At some point Mitchell appeared and made a half hearted attempt to persuade them to get some sleep. Sam calmly pointed out that if they left the base they'd simply take the books with them. Like Daniel, she obviously thought that this was too important for trivial considerations like eating and sleeping. Since Mitchell didn't actually outrank her, there wasn't a whole lot he could do. If it had been Jack…

There were times when Daniel actually felt sorry for Mitchell. As he'd said many times, strictly speaking he couldn't actually issue orders to any member of SG-1. He was only in charge because he was allowed to be, which had to be a blow to the man's ego. Sometimes it felt like they were kids in the playground, pretending to be SG-1.

Closing the book he'd been reading, Daniel reached for another. Maybe it wasn't here, maybe he was just searching for the proverbial needle in the proverbial haystack. Such a cliché. Jack would hate it… But Jack wasn't here. In the year since his promotion, Daniel had only seen his friend once. There was something keeping him away from Colorado Springs, but no one knew exactly what that something might be. Privately, Daniel suspected that his friend missed the action. He had hated watching other teams go through the Stargate. In Washington, Jack wasn't faced with the constant reminder that he considered himself to old for field work. Daniel often found himself wondering if Sam heard from Jack more often, but she never mentioned anything and he felt it was impolite to ask.

"I know it's here," Daniel muttered to himself as he discarded yet another volume.

That was the problem. He knew he'd seen something… somewhere… Having a photographic memory was great. Although he could mentally see the page, he was having a little trouble picturing the book it had been in.

"This is hopeless," he announced, slamming his book shut.

"Are you sure it was in one of your Grandfather's journals?" Sam asked.

"Yes… at least I think so."

Now he thought about it, Daniel wasn't so sure. He remembered a handwritten document but… Crap! Swearing to himself, he dashed over to a completely different bookcase and reached for one of his own notebooks. Just before he'd been drafted for the first mission through the Stargate he had spent some time in Central America. His aim, at the time, had been to gather more evidence for his alien spacecraft theory. He had ripped pages out of Nick's books and taken them with him.

Daniel hadn't looked at the book in years. There hadn't been much point since his theories had turned out to be more accurate than anyone could have anticipated.

"It's here," he breathed.

The Ancient script took up half of the page. Unable to translate the words, Daniel had only taken it along because the other half had been taken up with illustrations. One of which depicted the lid of a Mayan sarcophagus. The carving showed a man holding a glowing stone. The ancient astronaut theory wasn't anything new but Daniel had gone searching for the truth behind the legends. He had drawn a blank, but now he suspected it was because he'd been looking in the wrong place. Or at least he hadn't found the room to which the Ancient description referred.

"Well?" Sam asked.

"Uh… we need to go to Guatemala," Daniel replied.


	3. Chapter 3

Cameron was so excited about SG-1's field trip that Sam didn't have the heart to leave him at the SGC. He was all for the team bonding thing, she mused to herself as she lay in her hotel room. 'All for one' had become a kind of unofficial motto... besides Landry had ordered all of SG-1 to go. There was the nagging thought that someone else might also be pursuing the stone. They knew that Ba'al and his clones were still on Earth somewhere and Daniel would need someone to watch his back.

It was almost 3AM and Sam couldn't sleep. The hotel didn't have air conditioning and the ceiling fans made little impact on the heat and humidity. At best they just moved the hot air around a little. This wasn't the most heavily populated part of the country and she guessed they were lucky to find some place that was clean and bug free. And it wasn't like they were completely cut off. She had noticed that there was an internet café a block away… and she could get a signal on her cell phone. It was just a shame she had forgotten to pack her charger. Still as long as no one actually called her, the battery should last…

Almost as if it knew, her phone suddenly started playing Justin Timberlake and Sam sincerely regretted ever letting Cassandra download ringtones…

"Carter," she answered.

"It's me," a man's voice replied.

Sam had a little trouble focussing on anything other than the sound of his voice. It had been months since she'd heard from him and now he chose to ring at 3AM… 2AM in Washington DC.

"Sir? Is there something wrong?" she asked, hoping that he hadn't called because the world needed saving.

"No there's nothing wrong, Carter," he replied.

He sounded angry with her, but Sam couldn't work out why. Perhaps he'd just had a bad day.

"It's nothing," he repeated. "I just read a report and I… wondered how you were doing?"

"You read a report, sir?" Sam couldn't stop herself from laughing. She was certain that he did read the reports from the SGC, but his aversion to it was legendary. He preferred to speak to people and she knew he called General Landry on a regular basis.

"Not much else to do now I'm tied to a desk," he said.

"You just got home, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

"You work too hard," Sam teased him.

No one had ever actually caught him, but she'd always suspected that during his time at the SGC, O'Neill had worked almost as many hours as she did. Certainly when he'd been promoted to General she'd hardly ever seen him out of his office.

"Well, you know the President," he replied, lightly. "Once he gets talking…"

Sam couldn't help laughing. She'd missed this.

"So… got anything exciting planned?" he continued.

"Well, Daniel's dragged us all off to Guatemala to look for some rocks."

"Is that all?"

"He thinks it might be the key to creating our own Sangraal."

"Cool."

"I hope so, sir."

There was a pause, as if he'd run out of things to say.

"Sir… one more thing," Sam added.

"What?"

"Thank you."

"What for?"

"Showing me the stars."

"Any time."

She'd probably confused him with her last sentence but Sam was tired. An excuse she planned to stick with.

"I'd better go," she said, eventually, "my battery is nearly dead and I forgot to pack the charger."

"'night Carter,"

"Sleep well."

"Damn it," Sam breathed to herself as she realised the battery had finally failed. Not that she expected another phone call … Still there had been something comforting about hearing his voice. Smiling to herself, Sam pulled the light sheet over her body and attempted to sleep.

XOXOXO

There had been more uncomfortable missions, Cameron Mitchell mused as he slogged after Jackson, but at that moment he couldn't recall any of them. It was just that he didn't expect to be this uncomfortable whilst still on Earth. At least it felt that way. Cam had spent a fair amount of time in the more unpleasant areas of the planet.

They had left the hotel a dawn the previous morning. Some disreputable looking guide had driven them in his truck as far as the roads could take them. Cam's ass still hurt from the lack of suspension in said vehicle. Discomfort he could stand… one didn't spend so much time in a hospital bed without being tolerant… but on that particular occasion, he hadn't been forced to endure Vala Mal Doran alternately complaining and trying to seduce Jackson… for eight hours. Cam had been almost glad when they'd finally run out of road.

At first, the walk had been almost pleasant. Jackson seemed to have a good idea where he was going and it was a chance to get rid of some of the kinks the long truck journey had caused... that was until the rain started and they'd been forced to stop. The tents they'd brought with them kept out the worst of the rain, but everything was wet. And the humidity meant it stayed that way, even the following morning when the clouds had cleared. A long walk in damp pants wasn't Mitchell's idea of fun.

Sam, Teal'c and Jackson seemed to be taking this in their stride. For all his efforts to get SG-1 back together, Cameron sometimes wondered if he'd ever actually be part of the team .

"Are we nearly there yet?" he demanded when his stomach started protesting that it wanted lunch.

"I think so," Jackson called back.

He had the only map… if you could call it that. It looked like nothing more than a few pages torn out of an old notebook. They had the GPS, but Cam still felt out of control and he didn't like it much. When they were off world, he felt he had some kind of role. If nothing else, he could protect the team. Out here, there wasn't much to fight… apart from spiders as large as your hand.

Up ahead, Jackson had paused for a moment and was studying his pieces of paper. Glad of the break, Cam sat down on the damp earth. In the grand scheme of things his pants weren't going to get a lot wetter.

"Careful where you sit," Jackson muttered.

"Why?" Mitchell demanded.

"Tarantulas… they live in holes. Uh… it's this way."

Mitchell jumped to his feet. Sam's grin didn't escape his notice as they followed Daniel towards what appeared to be a small hill.

It wasn't Mitchell's idea of a temple. He would have walked right past it if Jackson hadn't show an unusual amount of interest. Mitchell guessed they were going to have to do some excavation. As he got closer, he could make out the steps of the pyramid, squared off stones poked through the vegetation.

"You know you could have stayed behind," Sam said.

"Wouldn't have missed this for the world," he replied.

The odd thing was that, despite the discomfort, he was telling the truth. Despite all of his experience off world, (it wouldn't be long before he made his 200th trip through the Stargate), Mitchell was starting to appreciate how little he knew his own planet. Most of his overseas experience had been with the Air Force. He'd seen little more than countries torn apart by war and this was a new experience for him.

By now, Jackson was scrambling around the hill and Cam was hard pushed to catch up with him. Sometimes he still made the mistake of thinking that Jackson was nothing more than a geeky archaeologist, but the man had been doing this for almost ten years and was fitter than most seasoned soldiers.

"How do we get in?" Cam shouted up to him

"I'm hoping tomb robbers might have done the job for us," Jackson yelled back.

If that was the case would there be anything left, Cameron found himself wondering. Jackson seemed confident but even so…

"Cam, I think I'd better go after Daniel," Sam said.

She was probably right. Jackson was already out of sight.

"I'll go too," Vala immediately volunteered.

"Fine," Cam said, "Teal'c you're with me."

They had been walking through the jungle for miles and he wanted to familiarize himself with the lay of the land. Not that Mitchell expected that something was about to attack them, but there was a hill to climb, and he wanted to see what was on the other side. It was steeper than he expected. Unlike the popular tourist destinations, the steps to the top of the temple hadn't been cleared and repaired. On several occasions, he found his boots slipping on the loose stones. Finally, close to the summit, he resorted to crawling on his hands and knees.

The climb was worth it.

Standing on the summit, Mitchell had a clear view across the trees. In the distance, he could see other 'mountains' rising from the canopy. There had been a city here at one time.

"You know what this reminds of," Mitchell began.

"The rebel moon of Yavin," Teal'c replied.

"You've watched Star Wars too many times, my friends," Mitchell replied, when something else caught his attention.

There was smoke on the horizon. He couldn't work out how far away it was… but he figured it wasn't close enough to cause them any problems. Everything here was too wet to burn.

XOXOXOX

Daniel found the entrance easily, guided by some sixth sense… and Nick's notes; the undergrowth wasn't quite deep enough to hide the opening in the North wall.

"Mmmm… nice view," Vala Mal Doran's voice said as Daniel crouched down to get a better look.

He didn't have to turn around to see that she was staring directly at his ass. Daniel did his best to ignore her comment but he sincerely hoped that Sam would be the one to follow him into the tomb. At least they weren't going to have to dig their way in. If they'd had to do that then a few days would have stretched to weeks. According to Nick's journal the artefact they sought had been left behind, but he had written those words twenty years ago and it was impossible to tell if the situation had changed. Everything grew so quickly here. Someone could have been nosing around last week and all signs of their passing erased.

Grasping his torch between his teeth, Daniel pushed himself forward into the darkness.

It wasn't the nicest hole he'd ever crawled down. Damp, slimy… something was crawling up his back and he didn't have a hand free to knock it away. At times like this, Daniel really regretted all the bulking up he'd done. The extra muscle came in useful but… well he didn't fit down holes as easily as he used to. There had been some advantages to being a 130 pound weakling. Luckily his discomfort was short lived. As he squeezed through the gap into the interior of the pyramid, Daniel saw the reason why. This temple had been built on the remains of another … and it looked as if the interior structure was intact.

Ignoring the two women who had crawled after him, Daniel started to walk around the second pyramid. He was looking for something… but he didn't know exactly what. There had to be a reason why the tomb robbers had gone no further.

"Turn the torches off," he ordered.

To their credit, neither Sam nor Vala argued with him. The lights went out and they were left in total darkness. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust, but there was no mistaking the glow that infused the space. If you didn't know what it was then the red light would be enough to frighten off the bravest of men.

Again, Daniel was lucky. Nick had obviously carried out a fairly extensive excavation… otherwise it would have taken them a month to tunnel their way into the pyramid.

"Wait here," Daniel told the others.

This tunnel was narrower than the first, and Daniel wondered if he shouldn't have sent Sam or Vala in. He was seriously out of breath by the time he'd managed to pull himself into the burial chamber. There didn't seem to be much oxygen and his lungs were straining. Flashing his torch around the chamber soon made him forget his laboured breathing.

"Thank you Nick," he whispered to himself.

The glowing red stone was clasped in the hand of the corpse, but it wasn't the only thing that caught Daniel's attention. Imbedded in the skeleton's chest was a box. Something about it fascinated him. Unable to stop himself, Daniel reached out a hand to touch it. The surface was smooth and warmer that he expected. It looked like it was made of jade. He'd never seen anything like it. How had it gotten there? The tomb would have been sealed after the burial and there was no sign that any one else had been there. Daniel doubted that it was something Nick had left behind.

"Daniel!" Sam's voice interrupted his musings. "Is everything okay in there?"

"Yeah… fine."

As much as he hated to admit it, this wasn't an archaeological mission. Daniel scooped up the stone and stowed it safely in his backpack. Still… the box wasn't that large… and could conceivably conceal some kind of Ancient technology. Grabbing the artefact, he tried to tug it free. It wouldn't budge. Leaning closer, he could see that the bones seemed to be fused with the material of the box.

Daniel believed in respect for the dead, but this person had been gone a long time. Using the butt of his torch, he smashed the ribs and pulled the box freed. It was heavier than he'd expected and he struggled to carry it back through the tunnel.

"What's that?" Vala asked when he reappeared.

He slapped her questing hand away as she reached out to touch it. Not that he thought she'd get very far if she did decide to steal it, but with Vala you never knew.

"What is it, Daniel?" Sam repeated the question.

"I don't know … yet," he replied.

For a moment, he thought that Sam was going to argue, but she pursed her lips and said nothing. He guessed that she was leaving any reprimand to Mitchell. Still clutching the box, Daniel led the way back out to the jungle.

XOXOXO

The second night they spent in the forest was no more comfortable than the first. Although there was no rain, as the sun set the insects came out to play. Teal'c was instantly reminded of his trip to Minnesota. General O'Neill's lake had provided a similar haven for things that bit him. None of his companions appeared to be bothered, he noted. Although Daniel Jackson seemed so preoccupied by the box, he had found that it was doubtful he was noticing anything at all. Or perhaps it was because he was seated closer to the fire and it was driving the insects away. Teal'c would have joined them, but he was already finding the heat unbearable.

He couldn't understand it. His body was usually more tolerant and he wondered if he had imbibed something that perhaps had not agreed with him. Although he had eaten nothing but MREs since they had entered the jungle, he had ordered room service whilst they had been at their hotel. If the fresh fruit had been washed in the local water then it was possible that he had contracted a disease that his body was not equipped to combat. Certainly, the last batch of MREs he had eaten was roiling in his stomach. Rising he stumbled out of the circle of firelight, ignoring Colonel Carter's cry,

"Teal'c? Are you okay?"

"I am fine, Colonel Carter," he managed to say as he walked away.

Teal'c paused for a moment when the others were no longer in view. Taking deep breaths of the humid air, he attempted to regain his composure. He could still hear their voices, murmurs of concern at his uncharacteristic behaviour. Teal'c knew that eventually Colonel Carter would follow him, but he had no desire for anyone to see him this way. Even though his legs were threatening to buckle under his weight, Teal'c moved further away from the camp. His weakness was driving him on. Alone in the dark, he could attempt to fight this sudden failing.

When he finally stopped to catch his breath, Teal'c realised that he wasn't as alone as he thought. The rain forest came alive at night. Something large and many legged was crawling up the inside of his pants but strangely enough this wasn't what was causing him the most concern. Someone was stumbling towards him. Wary of his weakened condition, Teal'c crouched, preparing himself to attack. Judging by the amount of noise they were making, they were not skilled in their craft. Teal'c felt a certain amount of derision for the unknown person's lack of ability. His disdain soon faded when the person lurched into view.

The two men stared at each other.

Teal'c mind was screaming. This wasn't possible. He found himself backing away from the other man. The man was injured, critically so, judging by the amount of blood that stained his clothes.

Why was this happening?

Or was he hallucinating? Was his illness more serious than he'd thought?

The man toppled forward, measuring his length on the forest floor. Even then, Teal'c couldn't let himself render aid. Cowardly it might have been, but he started to back away… before his Jaffa pride kicked in and he forced himself to take a closer look. It was obvious as soon as he reached for the pulse that the man was dead. Teal'c turned the body over, studying the features of the dead man. There was nothing to suggest that he was any different.

"Teal'c!" Colonel Carter's voice was close.

Leaving the man where he was, Teal'c went to meet her.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I will be," he replied. "Come, there is something you should see."

Teal'c was sure of his direction as he led Colonel Carter back to the clearing, but the jungle was confusing. In the darkness, it was impossible to follow the trail he had made. Even so, Teal'c was certain he had returned to the same place but of the body there was no sign.

"What is it?" she asked as she looked around.

"I believe I am sicker than I thought," Teal'c replied.

Her hand touched his face, her fingers brushing his forehead.

"In this heat it's tough to know if you're running a fever," she said. "Come on."

She placed and arm around his waist, helping him back to their camp… even though Teal'c was sure that he could have made it on his own, he found her presence comforting. He felt like he was losing his mind.


	4. Chapter 4

Daniel kept the box close on the journey back to the SGC. For some reason it fascinated him. He'd never seen anything like it and he couldn't wait to discover its secrets. In his mind, he was already planning a barrage of tests. X-ray, carbon dating, MRI… Was it a solid block of some unknown material? Or was there something hidden inside?

He was fairly certain he could talk Landry into letting him play with it for a while. The man was far more open to suggestion than Jack or Hammond had been. Sometimes Jack had erred on the side of caution and had influenced Hammond to do the same. Then again, when the shit hit the fan, Jack was more likely to take the fall if he had to. Sticking his head in an alien device to make sure no one else had to do it was the example that immediately sprung to mind. It was a rare kind of heroism. Daniel made a mental note to give Jack a call when they got back… after he'd opened the box.

Running his hands over the smooth surface, Daniel found himself once again wondering what it could be or why it had been placed in the tomb. He could at least made an intelligent guess to the purpose of most artefacts they came across but this time he had no idea. It didn't even look like it was made of anything he'd come across before. He found himself willing the plane to go just that little bit faster, just so he could get back to the SGC sooner. However, it wasn't a purely selfish wish. Despite protesting that he was now fine, Teal'c still looked a little green around the gills. They'd all feel better once Dr. Lam had had a look at him. Looking down at the box in his hands, Daniel couldn't help wondering if Teal'c's illness and the discovery weren't related. But Sam had scanned it and she hadn't been able to detect any kind of radiation… that they knew about.

Daniel held onto the box even when they were coming into land. That was one of the advantages of flying on a military transport; he didn't have to place 'all of his belongings in the overhead locker'.

"No welcoming committee?" Mitchell muttered as he looked out of the window.

Given the fact that they'd informed General Landry of Teal'c's condition, they'd half expected to see a decontamination team waiting for them on the tarmac. There were, however, cars to take them back to the SGC. The debriefing was a formality. They were done in less than half an hour and Daniel was able to escape to his lab.

Without any carvings or any features of any kind, it was difficult for him to do anything other than stare at it. He quickly realised he was going to have to let the analysts do their job. All they'd need was a tiny sliver of material, he rationalised. He wouldn't have to give them the whole thing. Taking a hammer and chisel, Daniel carefully laid it against the pristine surface of the box. He hated to do this, to destroy something so perfect, just because it was unknown… because he needed to know more. To start with, when it was made. Carbon dating would at least tell him if the box was as old as the tomb he'd found it in.

Steeling himself, Daniel gave the edge of the box a gentle tap. The chisel slipped and looking down, he realised that he hadn't even made a mark. He wondered if he shouldn't get the thing x-rayed first. At least then, he'd know if there was anything inside that could be damaged. Gathering the box up in his arms, he carried it carefully down to the infirmary.

Dr. Lam was on duty, examining Teal'c for any lingering signs of malaise. She didn't seem to happy with Daniel's suggestion, but he offered her his best puppy dog smile… the one guaranteed to make medics eat out of his hand. It worked on Lam the same way it had worked on Fraiser. Although she expressed her annoyance, Carolyn did what he asked and x-rayed the box.

The results didn't show anything… anything at all. As far as Daniel could tell, the box was empty inside. Which didn't make much sense. Aesthetically pleasing though it may have been there didn't seem to be any function that he could work out. Still, there wasn't any reason why he shouldn't do further tests.

It was late. He considered going home and picking this up in the morning but the box represented a mystery that he wanted to solve.

"You going to sleep with that thing, Jackson?" Cameron Mitchell joked as they passed each other in the corridor.

Seemed Daniel wasn't the only one who was spending the night on base. He mumbled something in reply, not really comfortable with Mitchell's brand of rough banter. The male locker room kind of aspersions on sexuality needed to be kept right there… where Daniel didn't have to listen to it. If Mitchell had anything waiting for him at home apart from a dodgy DVD and a towel, Daniel would eat every artefact in his collection. It was a fairly safe bet. Working at the SGC wasn't exactly conducive to maintaining a healthy relationship. He found his thoughts turning to Sam. She'd broken off her engagement over a year ago and didn't show any signs of finding someone else. Not that Daniel could talk. The only people he seemed to be attractive to were mad alien women. Speaking of which…

"Vala," he sighed in resignation.

She was in his lab, sitting on his desk.

"Haven't you opened it yet?" she asked,

"These things take time," Daniel replied taking offence at her implicit criticism.

It wasn't as if he hadn't tried, but short of smashing the thing there was really no obvious way to gain access.

"Give it to me," she said, jumping off the desk and snatching the box away from him. Daniel snatched it back. He was too frustrated to play games. However, Vala was clearly enjoying the game because she knocked the box out of his hands. Daniel dived for it, but even at full stretch, he couldn't stop it hitting the floor. He winced hardly daring to look, but the box remained intact. Vala was grinning at him, clearly unrepentant. She never seemed to learn that these artefacts needed to be treated with a certain amount of respect.

"Get out," he hissed, his teeth clenched.

"Daniel?"

"You heard me."

His patience had run out. Vala looked disappointed and a little upset as she followed his order. For a moment, Daniel wished he could have taken back his words. Or at least found a way to get rid of her without resorting to anger. She didn't deserve that. He'd have to take her out to dinner or something to make it up to her… but after he'd opened the box.

Now she was gone, it struck him how quiet his lab was. Daniel should have been able to concentrate, but somehow he found the silence distracting. The box sat on the bench, having resisted all of his attempts to understand it. He didn't know what else to do.

Perhaps it was time to give up, go and apologise to Vala. Leave the box on Sam's bench and let her puzzle over it. Although whether she would succeed where he had failed was open for debate. Perhaps approaching the problem from a different perspective was all that was required. This had nothing to do with his personal pride. The important thing was to get it open.

Finding a pad of Post-it notes on his desk, he scrawled the message 'have fun' and stuck the note on the box.

Somehow, he wasn't surprised to find that Sam was in her lab. Since her return from Area 51, she had quickly fallen back into her old habits. Daniel knew that Mitchell occasionally made half hearted efforts to get her to slow down but had little success. Whilst Sam might have been willing to follow her fellow officer's orders out in the field, she was less compliant in her territory. Daniel had a certain amount of sympathy for her. Like himself, Sam knew exactly how far she could push her body. Contrary to popular opinion, she didn't fall asleep in her lab. If a few meals were missed then she more than made up for it.

What Daniel hadn't expected to find was Vala's dark head, bent close to Sam's. He groaned to himself. The flush that appeared on Sam's face was testament to the fact that the two women had been talking about him. Knowing Vala the discussion had probably been very graphic.

Daniel didn't have to say anything to Sam. She'd snatched the box out of his arms and was scanning it before he had chance to draw breath.

"She's allowed to touch," Vala grumbled.

"Sam's not going to break it," Daniel shot back.

"I'm picking up a low level electromagnetic field," Sam said.

"Which means?" Vala asked.

"I don't know yet."

She sat back for a moment, staring at the box.

"Are we sure it's meant to be opened?" Vala vocalised the sneaking suspicion that was starting to worry Daniel. Perhaps they were assuming too much, but he was sure that it wasn't just some kind of decoration. Although Mesoamerica wasn't his speciality, Daniel was convinced that he'd never seen anything like it before.

Sam seemed to have gone into some kind of trance. Vala was wandering around the lab, picking things up and putting them down again and Daniel was starting to feel superfluous.

"What about this?" Vala asked suddenly.

She was holding up a fridge magnet bearing the legend 'I'd rather be fishing.'

"Electromagnetic," Sam corrected, absently.

"There's a difference?"

Suddenly, Sam blurred into action. She started grabbing equipment, seemingly at random, and setting it up around the box.

"Er… Sam?" Daniel began.

"Maybe that's all we have to do," she explained.

"What?"

"Disrupt the field with a magnet."

***

_Something stirred. _

_In the darkness between the worlds, held up its head and scented the air. Time meant nothing here. It had no idea how long it had been trapped… how many of its brothers and sisters shared this limbo. All it knew was that the enemy was close. _

_And it wanted to kill._


	5. Chapter 5

"Crap!" Sam swore to herself as she lunged in the general direction of the power cord. For all of ten seconds there, she had been congratulating herself for succeeding when Daniel had failed.

That was before the box opened… and the lights increased in intensity, forcing them all to close their eyes against the brightness. Even then, Sam hadn't been worried. They were so used to the unknown and had grown almost blasé… right up to the moment when Vala screamed.

Cable wrapped around her fingers, Sam tugged. The hum of equipment died but the light did not. Somewhere in the room Vala was whimpering, but Sam could also hear something else. Something that wasn't human. Whatever it was, it just seemed to have too many legs… and then there seemed to be more than one of them.

"Daniel!" she yelled.

If Sam was convinced of one thing, it was the fact they should get out of there.

"Help me !" he shouted back.

Sam fumbled towards the sound of his voice, hoping she wasn't going to encounter anything else on the way. She tripped over something… at first she thought it was Vala… until she reached down and her searching fingers encountered something hard and sticky. Another scream told her that her stricken colleague lay in the opposite direction. Sam would never know how she manage to get to Vala and help Daniel carry the woman towards the relative safety of the corridor. Once there it took several seconds for their eyes to adjust to the relatively dim light and for Sam to slam her hand down on the base alarm.

"Seal off Level 16," she ordered as she grabbed the phone.

The doors started to drop immediately and Sam and Daniel were hard pressed to get Vala through before they were cut off from the elevator. She'd stopped screaming. The pain of moving the woman had caused her to fall into merciful unconsciousness. Checking Vala over, Sam couldn't immediately tell what was wrong. There was no obvious sign of blood or trauma.

"I'll stay," Daniel volunteered.

Sam hesitated. One of them had to report to Landry but she was the one with the medical training.

"Please," he almost begged.

"I need to get her to the nearest isolation labs," Sam argued as gently as she could. "I promise I'll stay with her until the medics arrive."

The stricken expression on his face, almost made Sam change her mind… but Daniel also knew an order when he heard one. He left without another word.

"Vala, Vala can you hear me?" Sam called as she started to examine her patient.

The other woman groaned, fighting her way back towards consciousness.

"Where does it hurt?" Sam asked.

"Everywhere," Vala whispered.

"What happened?"

"Don't know… couldn't see… it threw me in the air…"

"You're going to be fine."

But Vala shook her head, denying all of Sam's attempts to reassure her.

"I can't move my legs," she said.

Her tone was one of absolute calm as Sam hurried to check her limbs. Vala clearly couldn't feel the poking and prodding. The alarms were still blaring and Sam wished they would just shut the hell up. She couldn't concentrate. And where were the medical staff. Someone should have been here by now… someone who would be of more use to Vala than Sam was.

She tried to ignore the shouts she could now hear above the alarms. Whatever was happening, it had spread beyond her lab. Looking down at Vala, Sam knew the last thing she should do was attempt to move her again, but she also didn't think she had a whole lot of choice. Some sixth sense was telling her that they had to get out of here.

XOXOXO

"Jackson… what the hell is going on?" Landry yelled in a tone that reminded Daniel of an angry bull elephant.

"Box… opened… Sam's Lab," he gasped, "Something came out…"

"Walter, get me the security footage from Colonel Carter's lab."

Daniel collapsed in a corner whilst Walter attempted to follow the General's order. Damn it, but he'd thought he was in better shape than this. Or was it unreasoning fear that was making his heart beat so fast? He hadn't seen the creature that had attacked Vala and somehow that made the whole thing worse.

"I'm not getting anything, sir," Walter said.

The camera in Sam's lab showed a complete white out.

"Try the corridor," Landry ordered.

Something… or make that several somethings, could be seen moving. His exhaustion forgotten, Daniel moved closer to the monitor. God, what were those things? The longer he looked the more of them there seemed to be. What the hell had they opened?

"At least we have them confined," Landry said.

"Uh… General…" Daniel began.

He didn't know how but the barriers were rising.

"They must have gotten into the computer system. Walter, lock it down," Landry ordered.

"I'm trying, sir."

Perhaps Sam could have done it, but she was with Vala.

"Flood the level!" was Landry's next order

But even as the anaesthetic gas flowed into the corridor, Daniel had the feeling that it wasn't going to work. He had no idea what these things were, but he was fairly certain they weren't human. Landry hadn't been at the SGC long enough to think far enough outside the box. He was acting as this were a simple case of human invasion.

And Daniel was right. Whatever they were, they just kept on coming.

He could see them more clearly now as they ventured out into the corridor and closer to the camera. The dark shape resolved itself into something that, a serious as the situation was, reminded Daniel of a cockroach. A six-foot high cockroach that seemed to have opposable thumbs. Logically, he knew it couldn't be an insect… at least not as he understood the Class.

His attention was diverted by the sudden appearance of a group of marines on the monitor screen. Masked and loaded for bear, they didn't hesitate before opening fire. Daniel almost cheered in relief, until he noticed that the bullets were having almost no effect on the creature. At first, it seemed to ignore them, almost as if they were a minor annoyance. Then it moved so fast that it was almost a blur. The Marines didn't have a chance. Daniel watched in horror as it tore the men apart.

"Lock down the base!" Landry ordered.

Although the rational part of Daniel's mind understood the logic behind the order, he couldn't quash the irrational fear that swept through his body. He didn't want to be trapped down here with those creatures. More and more of them were swarming into the corridor. If Landry didn't do something and soon… But Daniel's thought was left unfinished as he heard the General order in the big guns…

"Let's start evacuating people through the Stargate."

But Daniel had something else on his mind… or make that someone else. He wasn't leaving without Vala and Sam. No one gets left behind, Jack had driven those particular words into their heads right from the start and Daniel wasn't about to abandon his friends now. Realising that no one here would miss him, he slipped out of the control room.

He quickly realised he was moving against the flow. Everyone was trying to reach the Stargate. By the time Daniel reached the elevator he had been shoved, stepped on and, he would have sworn, bitten. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen the SGC personnel panic, but that was definitely what was happening now. As he waited anxiously by the elevator, he wondered if it wouldn't be more prudent to take the other way out and try to get to the surface.

When the doors slid open, he expected another flood of people to spill out, but the elevator didn't carry a human cargo. Finding himself face to face with one of the creatures, Daniel froze. He couldn't decide whether he wanted to throw up or run away. Whatever, he found himself unable to move, closing his eyes as the creature came closer.

But his moment of indecision probably saved his life. While Daniel remained immobile, the creature didn't consider him a threat. It scuttled past him, barely sparing him a glance out of its compound eye. Relieved, Daniel darted into the elevator.

"Sam! Vala!" he called out as he ran into the isolation lab.

Sam was instantly at his side, obviously concerned at his panicked tone.

"We have to get out of here," Daniel gasped. "They're everywhere."

"I don't think Vala should be moved again," she protested.

"If she doesn't, she'll die."

Sam didn't know. Stuck in here she hadn't witnessed the casual disregard with which the creatures had slaughtered the marines.

"We have to go," Daniel repeated.

They didn't have time to stand here and argue. The creatures had broken containment. As far as Daniel was concerned, nowhere was safe. Pushing past Sam, he moved to Vala's bedside. She managed a weak smile as he scooped her up in his arms. Perhaps it was a testament to her poor condition that she didn't comment but Daniel hoped that she was simply grateful for the assistance.

"Daniel!" Sam called from the corridor.

"What?" he replied, struggling slightly under Vala's weight. She was definitely heavier than she looked.

"None of the elevators are working."

"I think they've cut us off from the Gate," Daniel said.

There were other ways out. Daniel didn't fancy carrying Vala up or down a ladder, but it didn't seem like he had a whole lot of choice. The emergency escape hatch was right in front of them and Sam busied herself with the lock.

Sam just nodded and started climbing upwards. With Daniel shoving from below and Sam pulling from above, they would get Vala to safety… but he hated to think of what damage they were doing to her injured body.

XOXOXO

Teal'c had no idea why he had been confined to the infirmary. As soon as they had left the jungle, his strength had started to return. He did not believe there was any reason for him to stay, however the glare Dr. Lam gave him every time she walked past, told him that he would have to suffer the indignity for a while longer.

That was until the sound of the alarms roused him from a half doze. The medical staff immediately started preparing their less ambulatory patients for evacuation… and making the infirmary ready for the expected casualties. Teal'c wasn't going to lie there and do nothing. Especially when the medical staff were too preoccupied to stop him. If Dr. Lam saw Teal'c walk out, she gave no sign.

Once free of the infirmary, Teal'c found himself hesitating. His first instinct was to join his friends, but he had no idea where he might find them. The other alternative was to find General Landry an offer his assistance. Decision made, Teal'c headed for the nearest elevator.

It was only as the car started to fall, that the realised he wasn't alone. Slumped against the rear wall was the familiar form of Sergeant Siler. Somewhat concerned, Teal'c reached down to check the man's pulse. To his relief Siler's heart was still beating. There was no obvious injury. Apart from a spot of blood on the Sergeant's neck, there was no sign that he had been harmed. The last thing Teal'c wanted to do was return to the infirmary, but he was honour bond to help his fallen colleague. Regretfully, he sent the elevator upwards once more.

However, despite his good intentions, Teal'c never reached the infirmary. The elevator didn't stop at level 21, seeming intent on getting both of them to the surface.

"Sir?" the young man at the checkpoint questioned as Teal'c, carried Siler from the elevator.

The sergeant appeared to be confused, as if he hadn't been expecting anyone.

"This man needs medical attention," Teal'c ordered. "Please arrange transport to Peterson."

"But…" the man started to argue.

"Now!"

Although, Teal'c wasn't sure what was wrong with Siler, he knew enough about human physiology to realise that the man was sick. His condition appeared to have deteriorated during their short elevator ride.

"General Landry… not supposed to leave…" were the last words Teal'c heard as he pushed past the young man. He wasn't usually one to disobey orders, but Siler's life was at stake. Besides, he doubted that the elevator could be persuaded to take them back down again.

The scene outside was one of controlled mobilisation. Teal'c didn't exactly know what was going on in the depths of the mountain, but judging by the number of troops that were running around, he guessed they were trying to stop something getting out. He also guessed those rules wouldn't apply to himself and Siler. It seemed his guess was correct. No one stopped him as he carried Siler to the nearest vehicle.

XOXOXO

Cameron Mitchell always got a kick out of playing the hero. He knew his psyche was ideally set up for it. After all, he wasn't supposed to have ever walked again, so when it came to beating the odds, he always felt as if he were ahead of the game. Today was proving to be no different.

He'd been in the shower when the alarms had sounded. Butt naked, he'd raced to pull his clothes and boots on before heading down to the Gateroom. Of course he might have gotten there a little quicker, if he hadn't bothered with either, but he was also a man who had a certain sense of decorum. Despite what Carter might think, he didn't enjoy running around without his pants. As for his boots, well he'd seen Die Hard too many times to contemplate being barefoot. So Mitchell took a few precious minutes to dress himself… it was only as he arrived on Level 28 that he wished he hadn't.

As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, he slipped on something… something that turned out to be blood and entrails. Mitchell's stomach heaved and it was all he could do to stop himself throwing up on the spot. He kept his eyes averted as he picked up a P90 from the corpse. He had no desire to see who was dead.

It was starting to look as if he was too late to play any kind of hero… apart from maybe a dead one. Nothing was moving. Nothing human at any rate. He heard something scuttle across the floor, but when he turned to look, he found himself staring at the corpse. It wasn't someone he knew, thank God. Mitchell clutched his P90 close as he moved towards the Gateroom. The main lights had failed, adding to his sense of unease. No, it was worse than that… Mitchell was actually scared.

When he finally caught sight of one of the creatures, his gut reaction was to shoot it. As he emptied his P90, he realised how futile the action was… but he still couldn't stop himself. This thing awakened some primeval fear within his breast. He couldn't even look at it without feeling anger so intense that he wanted to kill. Even when he no more ammunition, Mitchell didn't turn and run. He did the stupidest thing possible and attacked.

It seemed surprised, or perhaps Mitchell was assigning human emotions to something that wasn't. He wasn't certain. All Mitchell knew was that its hesitation had given him an edge, a few precious seconds when he was able to sink a knife into its belly. As he stood there panting in the darkness, he found himself preparing himself for the next attack. Nothing happened. Mitchell slowly began to realise that there was only one of them down here. And one creature had been responsible for killing everyone.

Mitchell forced himself to move forward. Concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other was the only way he was going to get through. This was more than a simple foothold situation. He wondered if he was the last person alive here, in which case his mission was simple. Someone had to set the self-destruct. Someone had to make sure these buggers died. The hero thing again… except none would ever find out that he'd done it. The final act… Or so he thought.

It was only as he stood in front of the computer that he remembered two ranking officers were required to set the self-destruct.

"Damn it to hell!" Mitchell swore to himself, wishing he could throw the inoffensive VDU through the window into the Gateroom below. It was difficult, but somehow he managed to restrain his violent impulses and try to find a less destructive way around the problem. He wasn't holding out a great deal of hope. Anyone with any sense would have gotten themselves out of here by now.

"Hello!" he called out.

Mitchell balked at the idea of checking the bodies, but it was possible that someone was still alive enough to help him. Although looking down into the Gate room…

There was nothing but blood. Judging by the number of bodies, Landry must have tried to evacuate personnel through the Stargate. It didn't look as if anyone gotten out that way. Feeling more and more nauseous, Mitchell climbed the stairs towards the briefing room. He'd never thought it would end this way. Somehow, he'd held true to the misconception that the human race would always win through, that their fighting spirit counted for more than technological advantage, or pure viciousness. This attack definitely fell into the latter category. No one had been able to reason with these things. He doubted they'd even had time to draw weapons.

The briefing room was empty, but Mitchell hadn't really expected anything else. Despite some members of the burocracy thinking otherwise, having a meeting wasn't always the best way to deal with a crisis.

Which just left the General's office.

Mitchell tried the door and was surprised to find it locked. Pressing his ear to the wood, he could hear someone moving about inside. Military boots on a concrete floor… definitely human.

He knocked.

"Sir?"

The footsteps had been distinctive enough for Mitchell to take a pretty good guess as to who was inside, but he had to wait for what seemed like the longest time before Landry opened the door.

Landry was in such poor shape that Mitchell was surprised that the man was still on his feet. A gash on his forehead was weeping blood, whilst his right arm was limp at his side, swinging at a most unnatural angle. There was a syringe and some bandages on the General's desk and Mitchell guessed that the General's bewildered expression was a result of a dose of morphine and a serious concussion.

"Sir, we need to set the self destruct," Mitchell told him.

"The SGC?"

"There are just too many of them."

"Can't let them get out."

"That's what I thought, sir."

"We'd better set the self destruct."

"Yes, sir."

But Landry didn't move until Mitchell took his arm and guided him down to the control room. The General required little prompting however, when asked to type in his command code. Training took over as the two men worked together.

"Go," Landry said as soon as they'd finished. "You can still get out."

"Not going to happen, sir," Mitchell argued. If he couldn't save the SGC, then he'd settle for his commanding officer's life.


	6. Chapter 6

Jack O'Neill didn't know why he'd taken the flight to Peterson… at least that was what he kept telling himself. There was no real reason for him to be there, except the remote possibility that someone might want him to drop by the SGC. Of course, as a two star General, he was perfectly at liberty to visit Cheyenne Mountain any time he pleased, but he couldn't help feeling that was maybe a little sad. If he gave into that urge even one time, they'd never keep him away from the place.

But Peterson was close enough.

Close enough that he could lend a hand if he were asked. Not that anyone would ask. Landry seemed to have everything under control, more was the pity. Jack had hand picked his replacement, so he couldn't really complain that the man had turned out competent. That was what he had wanted. That was why he had agreed to leave the SGC in the first place.

He hadn't honestly expected to see anyone from the SGC, so when, while aimlessly wandering around the base, he spotted Siler and Teal'c getting out of a car, he was delighted. Ignoring the pain in his bad knees, Jack jogged over to meet them. Just seeing a familiar face was the best anti-inflammatory he'd ever taken.

"T!" he grinned as he hugged his friend.

It was only as he pulled back that he realised Teal'c looked even more sober than usual.

"Sergeant Siler requires medical attention," the man intoned.

Jack didn't even hesitate before slinging his arm about Siler's shoulders and helping the man into the building. In all honesty, Siler looked like crap. Worse that when he'd broken his arm or been electrocuted.

"What happened to him?" Jack asked.

"I do not know," Teal'c replied.

Siler was almost a dead weight. His pale skin slick with sweat, he didn't seem to be aware of his surroundings. Jack was wearing his Class As and he was more than a little worried that Siler was going to throw up all over them. Vomit was a pig to dry clean… but other bodily fluids were worse. As Jack found out when the man he was supporting suddenly started vomiting blood. Both Jack and Teal'c were forced let him go and step back as Siler's body began to convulse. Jack had never seen anything like it. Something… or make that several somethings… seemed to be fighting their way free of Siler's body.

And they were winning.

Jack watched in horror as Siler's body was torn apart. There was nothing they could do for the sergeant, as hundreds of larvae ate their way out. Jack's first instinct was to stomp on them and Teal'c followed his lead. He had no idea what the larvae were but he'd just seem them kill one of his men and that was reason enough to destroy as many as possible. They got a lot of them, but not all. The things moved so damn fast that within seconds all that was left was the husk of Siler's body.

"What the hell is going on?" Jack demanded.

"The SGC is under attack," the other man admitted.

"And you broke quarantine? What the hell were you thinking?"

Jack couldn't remember the last time he had been this angry, never mind at a man he considered one of his best friends. Trying to stop himself from starting a fight he knew he would never be able to win, Jack headed for the nearest phone.

"This is General O'Neill. We have a foothold situation, and send a hazmat team to corridor 3B" was all he said to the base commander.

"Do you wish to render assistance, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked.

"We're staying right here," Jack replied.

No point in making this situation worse than it already was. After berating Teal'c, he couldn't exactly go racing off to Cheyenne Mountain. No. The best he and Teal'c could do was quarantine themselves in the base infirmary and stay there until the all clear. Standing there, waiting for the hazmat team to arrive, Jack could almost feel the damn things crawling up inside his pants. He needed to shower in the worst way possible.

Neither of them looked at the body of their friend.

XOXOXO

Sam had never been happier to lie in the mud and the rain as she was when they finally managed to haul Vala out of the SGC. She was just relieved that they were finally outside… and that nothing had followed them. It would have been so good just to lie there and let the gentle rain massage away the ache in her arms and legs, but Daniel was already on his feet and Sam followed suit. They were both exhausted but if they could just get Vala down to the road…

For some reason, Sam felt they were running out of time.

The rain brought Vala back to a state of semi-consciousness and she cried out every time Sam or Daniel stumbled on the uneven ground. Sam tried to close her ears to the woman's distress, but by the time they had managed to reach the service road, she had tears running down her face. It was damn lucky it was still raining.

They paused for a moment, hoping to flag down a passing motorist, but it was clear that nothing was leaving Cheyenne Mountain. The sense of urgency was stronger than ever. Glancing at her watch, Sam realised it had been a couple of hours since they'd left the SGC. If the situation wasn't yet under control, then being outside the mountain was just as dangerous as being inside. Sam knew they couldn't carry Vala much further. They needed some for of transport.

"Wait here," she told Daniel.

She could move faster alone. Without the added burden, Sam knew she would be good for a few miles and she set off down the road at a run. At least it was downhill but, if she didn't find some kind of vehicle, coming back was going to be a whole lot more painful. She was lucky. There was a gas station on the main road and a car tanked up and ready to go. Sam used the national security excuse when the angry owner protested. If he hadn't caught her in the middle of grand theft auto, Sam would have just taken the vehicle. She wasn't in the mood for finesse or morals.

Judging by the state of the vehicle, one careful owner certainly wasn't an apt description. The engine certainly felt a little rough and the manual transmission left a lot to be desired. It didn't seem to have a second gear. But Sam couldn't afford to be choosy. It wasn't a Lexus but it would get them to the nearest hospital.

Daniel practically threw himself in front of the car when she got back.

"I think Vala's getting worse," was all he said when Sam screeched to a halt.

"Let's get her into the back seat," Sam replied.

It took both of them to manoeuvre Vala into the car. Then Daniel sat with her, cradling her against every bump in the road. Sam tried to drive as carefully as she could, but she couldn't block out the sobs of discomfort. Her first instinct was to head for Peterson, but she hit traffic. The line of cars was stationary and, up ahead, Sam could see blue flashing lights. Realising it was a road block of some kind, Sam started to swing the car around and head back towards town. Just in front of her, a second vehicle made the same manoeuvre almost hitting them in the process. Sam swore loudly at the driver, leaning on the horn. It accomplished nothing but made her feel just a little bit better.

"We'll try for Memorial," she explained to Daniel.

Two seconds later all of her anger and frustration became irrelevant as somewhere in the distance a mountain exploded. Sam had lived in California as a child and she had been indoctrinated with a healthy fear of earthquakes but nothing had quite prepared her for this. There was several tonnes of Stargate shaped Naquadah in the basement of Cheyenne Mountain. Enough to blow the place apart. People who had gotten out of their cars were suddenly forced to take cover as rock and dirt fell from the sky. A plume of smoke a mile high blotted out the sun.

But it wasn't the dust that made it hard for Sam to breath, that brought the tears to her eyes. The Stargate was gone. Everything they'd fought for, everything they'd dreamed about… The past ten years of her life had been blown away.

Her world had ended… but she had no time to morn.

XOXOXO

_Dark. Warm. Safe. _

_At some basic level, it understood the concepts. The flesh that had served it as an incubator was gone, destroyed in the moment of birth. It needed a new home now. _

_Somewhere it could grow and change. _

_There were others of its kind close by all seeking similar shelter. Some would die. That was the way of its world. Many would die so one could live. _

_They would continue. _

XOXOXO

"Holy crap!"

The two of them had been en route to the quarantine facility at the Air Force Academy hospital. If Teal'c had known a similar expletive, he would have uttered the words. As it was there was little he could do apart from hold on to his seat as the sound of an explosion caused the ambulance to swerve. The next moments were ones of confusion as they collided with another vehicle and tipped over.

Darkness and silence… then a groan.

"T?"

"I am alive, O'Neill," Teal'c replied.

He wished he were not. Although he was not injured, a strange lassitude seemed to have come over his body. There was little he wished to do apart from lay there. He had failed. Not only from the infirmity he had experienced in the jungles of Guatemala, but also from his foolish action with regards to Sergeant Siler. He had endangered his closest friend. …who, at that moment, seemed to be forcefully kicking at the wall of the ambulance.

"A little help here, T?" O'Neill demanded.

Disentangling himself from the equipment that had fallen on him, Teal'c moved to render assistance. Joining his strength with O'Neill's, they managed to kick open the doors and crawl outside. Both men found themselves coughing in the dust-laden air. Looking up at the horizon, Teal'c realised that one familiar landmark was missing.

"They blew the mountain," O'Neill breathed.

Teal'c could recall many occasions when such drastic action had been discussed, however he had truly realised the devastation that it would cause.

"Must have been the Naquadah," his companion muttered.

"Did you not know this would happen, O'Neill?"

"Hey, it's pretty hard to test a self destruct. Check the driver."

There was little hope that the driver of either vehicle had survived the impact, but Teal'c did as requested. As he had suspected, the man was dead. Returning to his friend's side, Teal'c noticed that O'Neill seemed preoccupied with the space where Cheyenne Mountain once been.

"I am certain the base was evacuated prior to the explosion," Teal'c tried to offer reassurance.

"Maybe," O'Neill replied. "Get to the hospital, tell them what happened."

"And you?"

"I'm going to make sure everyone got out okay. I'll meet you back at the academy."

Teal'c knew that O'Neill's mission was probably futile, but he had no chance to dissuade him. The other man did not wait for approval or otherwise before jogging off towards the mountain. Left alone, Teal'c did not have any choice other than to follow orders.

It would be many months before he would see his friend again.

XOXOXO

Running up the mountain made Jack realise just how out of condition he was. Disregarding quarantine was seriously out of line, but at this point, he didn't think they had a whole lot to lose. If his judgement was flawed then they could court martial him… but later. Jack admitted what he was doing was probably futile. Even from this distance, he could tell that the destruction was complete. That was the whole point of a self destruct...

Jack stopped for a moment to get his bearings. The rough ground and the dust in the air weren't making this easy. He'd lived here for almost ten years, but the terrain was no longer familiar. He felt like he was on some other planet. Was he crazy? Probably. He knew Teal'c was safe but he had no idea about the rest of his friends. If they'd been anywhere close to or inside the base, the logical part of his mind was telling him that they were already dead. But Jack also knew that he'd never believe that… not until he had some hard evidence.

The first body lay just on the edge of the blast zone. He approached with caution, wary of what had happened to Siler. It could have been someone Jack knew, but the face was unrecognisable. In a way, he was glad. Anonymous corpses he could deal with. There were others… Others who had tried to get out. Others who hadn't been able to run far or fast enough. Jack moved around the perimeter, methodically checking the dead. Clouds gathered and it started to rain again, but he didn't seek shelter. Not until he knew for certain…

But that comfort was denied. When night fell, he still didn't know if his friends had escaped… or if they lay buried in the remains of the SGC. When the light failed, Jack finally gave up. He had to accept that he might never know exactly what had happened. But he couldn't allow grief to cloud his mind. Not yet. His duty forced its way back to the forefront of his mind as he started back towards Colorado Springs.

He needed to get back to Washington, report to the President. With luck, they would be able to contact one of their allies and maybe… maybe get their hands on another Stargate. Damn it but they needed the 'gate. Even without the threat from the Ori, there were plenty of other hostiles out there. Ori, Baal, the Lucien Alliance… All of whom knew where Earth was and had access to ships. Despite the development of the X303 and X304, Jack knew that Earth was woefully under armed when it came to an attack from the skies. Without a functioning ZPM, Jack couldn't even go to Antarctica and do the chair thing. And Atlantis. Jack knew they wouldn't be able to spare a ship to service the colony, not while Earth's defences were compromised. With the loss of the Stargate, it was easy to forget Cheyenne Mountain's other function. The relocation of NORAD was by no means complete.

Jack was almost at the city limits when he realised that something was following him. He stopped, looking back into the darkness.

"Hello?" he called out.

There was no answer. Jack wasn't armed, and at that moment, he would have liked to have been. He doubted whatever was out there would be stopped by the polish on his shoes or the number of medals on his class A's. If something had escaped from the zoo…

Always one to improvise, Jack picked up a hefty stick. The lump of wood wasn't a P90 but it made him feel better. He started to walk again.

The attack was silent… and seemed to come from nowhere. One moment he was walking along and the next he was flat on his back looking into the face of something that definitely wasn't human… or, he suspected even hailed from the planet Earth. It looked like a damn cockroach. And, if it had escaped from the ruins of the SGC, was probably just as indestructible. Hitting the bug with his stick wasn't going to inflict any damage and Jack found himself turning his head away, waiting for the killing blow. It never came.

Jack felt something prodding his abdomen and he recoiled in horror when he realised what it was attempting to do. It wasn't trying to kill him, it was trying to lay eggs. He tried to twist his body away, bringing his legs up to kick at the creature's lower body. Jack had no desire to become maggot food. He shoved with all his strength, managing to kick the creature off… for a moment at least. Before he could run away, it had pinned him again. The pressure returned as the creature tried to force its way through his skin.

"Sir!"

Someone was running towards him. Jack didn't recognise the figure immediately, but he could see the man was armed.

"Knife!" Jack ordered.

With a smooth overhand cast, the man threw his knife and the weapon embedded itself in the soft earth beside Jack's head. The creature must have had some idea what Jack was about to do, because it pinned his right hand as he tried to reach for the knife. Undeterred, he kicked it again. He wasn't able to knock it away, but he distracted it long enough for him to grab the knife with his left hand. Jack completed the movement by digging the knife into the creature and slicing its head open. Feeling sick to his stomach, Jack pushed the dying creature off him, watching in horrified fascination as it twitched.

"Are you okay, sir?"

The voice belonged to Cameron Mitchell.

"Yeah… thanks," Jack replied, checking his stomach very carefully. He admitted that, at times, he wasn't very fond of his fifty-year-old abs, but for now, he was very pleased to see that the skin was unbroken. He walked over to the dead creature, kicking it onto its back. With effort, he pulled the knife free.

"Anyone else get out?" he went on.

"I think so. General Landry and I were the last," Mitchell replied.

"Where's Landry?"

"This way."

The two men started to walk. Landry was resting against a tree and Jack was torn between reprimanding Mitchell for leaving the other General on his own and gratitude.

"The General was injured in the attack," Mitchell explained. "I was taking him to Peterson."

"Not a good idea," Jack said.

"Sir?"

"It's under quarantine. The oversized roaches incubate their larvae in human hosts… I think that's what it was trying to do to me."

"Bug sex?"

"Don't."

"Sorry, sir."

"Siler was the host and he happened to be at Peterson… it… it wasn't pretty."

Jack refrained from saying exactly how the sergeant had wound up at the base. There was no point in offering Teal'c up as a scapegoat. He had the feeling they had far more serious problems.

"Take him to the Academy Hospital," Jack ordered. "Contact the local authorities and get them to seal off the area around the mountain. If one of those things survived…"

"Understood. What about you, sir?"

"I have to get back to Washington and brief the President."


	7. Chapter 7

At first, when Vala awoke, she luxuriated in the sensation of being in a pleasant room, between clean sheets. She was happy because she no longer felt any pain. Her memories of their escape from the SGC were nothing more than jumbled fever dreams. Colonel Carter…Being carried in Daniel's arms… loud, terrible noises… But all that was yesterday. If there was one thing Vala had learned over the years, it was not to dwell on the past. She allowed herself a small smile as she pushed the memories to the back of her mind. Any other action would lead to serious personality disorder. All that mattered was that she'd survived. Vala Mal Doran had beaten the odds once again.

Her musings were interrupted by the touch of a hand on hers. Looking round, she saw Daniel Jackson sat in a chair by the bed. He looked like hell, she realised. As if he hadn't slept in a week. Although the bed Vala was laying in was a single, she was fairly certain it would be big enough for two… especially if the two people concerned were prepared to get friendly. Vala wasn't sure exactly why she was attracted to Daniel. Perhaps it was because he insisted on playing hard to get?

"Hey," he whispered. "How are you feeling?"

Vala couldn't understand why he was talking so softly. Couldn't he see she was fine?

"Is something wrong, Daniel?" she asked.

"Can I get you anything?"

He was definitely hiding something, but now she thought about it, she was a little hungry.

"Something to eat…" Vala suggested.

Daniel practically ran out of the room. He'd quite clearly spent the past few hours by her bed, why then wasn't he prepared to talk to her? Lying there, Vala thought she could hear voices in the corridor. A low rumble that was definitely Teal'c, a higher pitched voice that she guessed was Sam… and Daniel… He was arguing with them about something. Although Vala felt a certain amount of female pride from the fact that Daniel was defending her, she wanted to know why. Never one to let anyone fight her battles for her, Vala threw back the sheets and attempted to get out of bed.

Her legs wouldn't move.

She looked down at them, vaguely puzzled. There was no pain, no obvious sign of injury… Perhaps all it would take was a little persuasion. With effort, she reached down and moved the offending limbs until they dangled over the edge of the bed. Bracing herself on her arms, Vala prepared to stand up.

"Vala no!"

Daniel's shout was loud enough for Vala to stop what she was doing. He wasted no time in swinging her back around and tucking the covers around her shoulders.

"Daniel, either you tell me what's wrong with me or I swear I'll…"

"Vala…"

"Daniel!"

"You were injured. It's not a good idea for you to try to walk right now."

"What happened?"

Vala's memories of the events were sketchy. She remembered being in Colonel Carter's lab, something hitting her… Daniel was talking but Vala was barely listening to his words. She heard him say 'don't think you'll be able to walk' and had tuned out. Vala wasn't angry, far from it. Her overwhelming mood was one of confusion. How could this have happened?

"Are they sure?" she asked, "Are they really sure because I feel fine. Really I do."

"Vala," Daniel interrupted, "they're sure."

She lay there for a moment, trying to absorb the information, trying to be brave and strong. She couldn't.

"Get out," she said.

"Vala…"

"I said go!"

But he sat down. Waiting… just waiting for her to breakdown. Well she wasn't going to… she wasn't going to give Daniel Jackson the satisfaction of seeing her cry. A tear dripped off her nose. No… this wasn't happening. She wasn't going to ... Another tear, then another...

And then his arms were about her, holding her…

"It's going to be okay," he whispered.

But it wasn't. It would never be.

XOXOXO

As he tried to make himself comfortable in the economy class seat, Jack wondered if he were doing the right thing. Every time he left Colorado Springs he was plagued with the same questions but this time the sense of foreboding was stronger than anything he'd ever experienced. He didn't want to admit it, but his encounter with the bug had shaken him.

And the SGC was gone.

Now he was somewhere safe and normal the reality of the situation was starting to set in. He knew the people around him were curious, wondering who this man in the dirty uniform was. Jack hadn't had the time or the inclination to change his clothes. He'd had to pull some rank to get a seat on this flight. Not unsurprisingly, every one was trying to get out of the Springs. In fact, he'd been surprised that the planes were still flying. If they hadn't… well he was probably a little rusty but he would have found something that would fly. This was better though. He could sit back, relax… and try to pretend that the lack of legroom wasn't playing havoc with his knees.

He closed his eyes as the plane took off; trying to imagine what he was going to say to the President. Somewhere behind him, a small child started to cry.

"Drink, sir?"

The steward's innocuous question caught him by surprise and Jack realised that he must have been asleep for at least an hour. 'Way to go O'Neill' he thought to himself, wryly. The world was in jeopardy and he took forty winks. Proof, once again, that he wasn't as young as he used to be. When this was all over, he was going to retire again… for real this time and nothing and nobody was going to talk him into going back.

When this was all over…

A ping and the fasten seatbelt sign was switched on again. The aircraft shook a little, then more violently. The steward scurried away, pushing his trolley before him. A pity. Jack could have done with a drink about now. The aircraft lurched… listing to one side, throwing all the passengers against their restraints. Of course, there was one guy who had disregarded the sign, instantly regretting it as he was thrown against the bulkhead.

This wasn't just turbulence, Jack realised as the plane seemed to fall from the sky. Whoever was flying this bird was either drunk or an idiot. Struggling, a little, Jack released his own seatbelt and staged forward.

"I'm sorry, sir I can't let you…"

The steward stood in his way. His attempts to stop Jack getting to the flight deck were laudable, but misplaced.

"Major General Jack O'Neill," Jack told him, flashing his ID. "I think whoever's in there could use my help."

Jack kept walking and the annoying little man was forced to step out of his way. Federal regulations be damned.

But when he opened the door to the flight deck he almost wished he hadn't. From experience, he knew it was difficult to fly when one was throwing up. However, this was exactly what the co-pilot was attempting to do. One look at the seat where the pilot should have been and Jack knew the reasons why.

He thought it would have been easier… seeing this kind of death in someone he didn't know, but Jack still found himself shaking. Like Siler, the man had been torn apart from the inside. Fighting his revulsion, Jack tapped the vomiting co-pilot on the shoulder.

"I'll take it from here," he told the young man.

The co-pilot didn't even argue. He surrendered the controls of the plane and went to throw up some more.

Jack had no idea how long he'd been asleep, so he couldn't even start to guess where they were. As he struggled to bring the plane back on an even keel, he realised he might well be fighting a losing battle. They weren't even headed 80 East. The best he could do was to bring her down safely… but for that he needed an airfield. It was dark and the visibility wasn't great. Jack couldn't tell if he were in Kansas or Utah.

It would be better if he could find some place isolated. He hadn't had the chance to look around, but since he couldn't feel anything crawling up his pants, he guessed the larvae had gone somewhere else. Perhaps they needed some place warm and dark before they turned into giant flesh easting monsters. But he had a plane full of people and getting them down safely was his main concern.

"Mayday, Mayday, this is General Jack O'Neill…"

XOXOXOX

Sam didn't get to bed until midnight. There had been debriefings and yet more debriefings… They had talked themselves in circles always coming back to the same conclusion, bar not opening the box in the first place there was nothing else they could have done. Even when she had been dismissed, the puzzle of what the box actually was played on her mind. Sam had sat in bed, scribbling equations, trying to come up with a reason why it was so much bigger on the inside. She fell asleep sitting up, with a pen still clasped between her fingers.

Daniel woke her at dawn. One look at his pale drawn features, and Sam expected to hear bad news about Vala, but he shook his head before she could ask the question.

"It's Jack," he said.

"What?"

"He was taking a scheduled flight from Colorado Springs back to Washington… his plane went down."

After everything that had happened, Sam was having trouble assimilating the information.

"I didn't even know he was here," was all she could say.

"Neither did I," Daniel replied. "I don't…"

He took a deep breath, but whatever he had to say had to wait. The door to the room crashed open,

"Carter, Jackson, grab your stuff, we're getting out of here."

Sam and Daniel looked at each other, and then at Mitchell.

"Why?" Daniel asked the question that military protocol forbade Sam from voicing.

"I don't know how but those damn bugs got out… they're all over town," Mitchell explained.

Which was enough of a reason for Sam to reach for her clothes.

The academy was in chaos. There wasn't time to think about anything other than trying to get everyone out safely. After a quick conference with General's Landry and Kerrigan, Sam found herself shepherding cadets onto buses as they started to evacuate the area. She imagined that similar scenes were taking place all over Colorado Springs. The government would do its best to make sure that the area was clear before… Sam bit her lip. She was old enough to remember the cold war and, like many others, her childhood dreams had been haunted by mushroom clouds. To think of a bomb dropping here was a living nightmare.

They would never get everyone out, not within the time limit that the generals had set. In less than twelve hours, Colorado Springs would be nothing more than a smoking hole in the ground. And the bugs would be no more. Better to kill a few… Wasn't it? Sam couldn't let herself think about the moral implications of what they were about to do. She hadn't managed to speak to Daniel again. He and Vala had already been airlifted to Area 51. No one else seemed to know anything about General O'Neill's plane. Sam clung to the uncertainty. Until she knew for certain she could pretend that he was still alive. It made all this a little bit easier.

After the last bus pulled away, Sam found herself wandering though the empty corridors of the Academy. Ostensibly, she was supposed to be carrying out a final sweep but she couldn't help recalling the time she had spent there. The memories weren't all good. She'd been like a fish out of water that first year. General Carter's little girl… the hazing had almost driven her out of the Air Force. It seemed so long ago. Before she had ever imagined there could be such a thing as a Stargate, when she'd believed that the only way she'd leave the planet was on the space shuttle.

"Memories?"

Sam turned to see Cam leaning against the wall behind her.

"Yeah," she admitted. "I can't believe it's come to this."

"I know what you mean."

They were both members of SG-1. They were used to saving the planet. They, like the rest of the powers that be, had grown too complacent.

"It's time to go," Mitchell reminded her.

Checking her watch, Sam realised he was right. There was a transport waiting to take them to Area 51. Maybe there she'd be able to find a way to sort out the mess they'd made.

It was that damn box. Logically, Sam knew that a combination of circumstances had led to this horror being unleashed, but she couldn't help feeling responsible. She, after all had provided the final piece of the puzzle. She had been the one to open it.

"Are we the last?" Sam asked as they headed towards the academy airfield.

"There are still a few people out in the city," Mitchell replied. "Teal'c's with them."

XOXOXO

The silence was disturbing. Five in the afternoon and it sounded like a Sunday morning. Miranda Bailey walked down the street wondering when the world had ended… and why no one had told her. No cars, no people… even if this part of town had been cleared for some reason there should have been something, somewhere… the blare of a horn, the wail of a siren. Nothing. She felt like she was on the set of a second rate B movie.

Miranda had to admit that the apocalypse could have come and gone, and she wouldn't have noticed. The last twenty-four hours had been a blur.

It had all started with a tuna sandwich.

That's all she had wanted … no cucumber, no lettuce, no tomato… just tuna. How much of a problem was that? None at all, except the tuna in question had been sitting on the shelf for longer than it should have. Of course, she had no proof that the fish had been out of date. If she had, Miranda would have been on the phone to her lawyer… in between bouts of vomiting.

She had started to feel ill the previous day. At three PM, she'd suddenly announced to her colleagues that she had to go home. Thirty seconds after walking through her front door, she'd been bent over the toilet. Once she'd thrown up everything she'd eaten for the lat three days, Miranda had gone to bed and slept for twenty-four hours. When she'd woken up the everyone else had gone.

Miranda tried not to give in to panic. At first, her search had been a systematic one, but as she continued to wander through the city, she couldn't help but give into panic. Turning on the TV or the radio was no help. All she managed to get was the same repeated warning. No explanation, just a recorded message telling people to leave Colorado Springs.

Easier said than done when you didn't have a car and the public transport had disappeared along with the rest of the population. There were a few abandoned vehicles around, but Miranda couldn't quite bring herself to steal one. Besides, she had no idea how. Hotwire 101 hadn't been part of any college course she'd taken.

Despite everything, the last thing Miranda expected was to round a corner and almost run into an. She'd heard the rumours… who hadn't? Just like anyone else who'd lived in Colorado Spring for the past ten years, Miranda had heard the tales of mysterious happenings underneath Cheyenne Mountain. Of course, she hadn't believed a word of it… until now. Not that she stopped long enough to get a good look. Aliens might have been responsible for spiriting away most of the population but there was no way she was going to hang around and wind up joining them.

But her sickness had left her weak and Miranda knew she had no real chance of escaping. It was too big, too strong. She was going to die… just like everyone else.

Miranda ran until she had no more breath in her lungs, until her legs would no longer support her. Eventually, she could do nothing apart from lie on the ground and wait. At first, she heard nothing. Silence had returned to the city.

The footsteps. Light, scuttling… not at all like the pounding stride of the alien who had pursued her. An explosion. A flash of light. Something warm and wet hit the back of her head and it took her several seconds to realise that she was still breathing. Miranda rolled onto her back and found herself staring up at the alien, and more specifically the weapon he held in his hand.

"Don't hurt me," she gasped.

His eyebrow twitched upwards, towards the gold emblem embossed on his forehead.

"I have no intention of hurting you," he replied.

He held out his hand and helped her to rise. It was only then that she noticed she was covered in something that was… slimy… and smelt disgusting.

"We must leave," he said.

She was too occupied with scraping the stuff off her clothes to argue.

"What was it?" she asked.

He had killed something… and probably saved her life in the process.

"The enemy," was all he said,

Miranda realised, she might never know any more. And that she was too tired to really care. She let the man lead her to a place where she was given food, clean clothes and a bus out of Colorado Springs. She never asked his name.

XOXOXO

Any landing you walk away from… at least that's what they'd told him in flight school.

Jack was still walking but several of his passengers weren't. He considered it good luck that he'd gotten the plane down in one piece and hadn't actually managed to kill anyone. Although no one's life was in immediate danger, the emergency services seemed to be taking their own sweet time in finding them. Jack's mayday call had been acknowledged so someone knew they were out here. Of course, he wasn't entirely sure where 'here' was exactly… It was flat … ish. And there had been enough room to land. He hadn't cared about much else, but they'd been there for almost twelve hours. They had food (if airplane meals counted in that respect) shelter, blankets so there wasn't any immediate danger of starvation or exposure. Even so, Jack was starting to get worried. If the emergency services hadn't been able to get to them, then they had to be busy some place else.

He had a very bad feeling about all this. Looking at the mountains, Jack realised that they probably weren't as far away from Colorado Springs as he'd first thought. Shading his eyes against the light of the setting sun, he even thought he could make out the place where Cheyenne Mountain had once stood. So clear, almost as though he could reach out and touch it. There wasn't a cloud in the sky.

Somewhere in the distance, he heard the roar of a rocket. At first he thought it was a plane, but as the object approached he realised…

Jack had no trouble recognising the distinctive shape of the D5. There were people outside, lying on the grass, enjoying the peace of the evening. Even though they saw the missile, they had no idea what it meant. To Jack, it was defeat.

"Get inside!" Jack yelled. The tone of command was unmistakeable and, to their credit, no one ignored him. He suspected they were all too numb from the manner of the landing to put up much of a fight. The last thing Jack wanted was for someone's curiosity to get the better of them.

"Make sure everyone shuts the blinds," he added.

He checked himself, walking through the narrow cabin, a reassuring sight to all the people huddled in the dark. One young woman clutched at his jacket as he passed,

"What's happening?" she demanded.

As gently as he could, Jack disentangled her fingers.

"It's just a precaution," he reassured her.

Jack hated to admit it, but his year in Washington had made him better at this kind of thing. He was now able to lie as well as any politician. It was all in the tone of voice. At least some of these people had their homes in Colorado Springs. They didn't need to know that everything they owned was about to be vaporised, at least not yet. Not until the bomb had dropped. If they knew, they might want to watch and that was the one thing Jack couldn't let them do. The fuselage of the downed plane would offer them some protection from the flash and the blast damage. He hoped they were far enough away to escape the worst of the fallout… or that the authorities would turn up and bail them out.

He had to admit to a certain curiosity. Despite all his talk of bombs, mega tonnage and delivery mechanisms, Jack had never witnessed an actual explosion. Not that he wanted to get that close, but even so… He just liked explosions and there was nothing wrong with that, as long as innocent people weren't involved. That was the problem he had with this. Whoever had taken the decision to nuke Colorado Springs, must have known that they couldn't possibly get everyone out. There just hadn't been enough time. But having encountered one of those alien creatures, and their method of reproduction, Jack knew he'd have probably been forced to give the same order.

Silently, he counted down the seconds.

Even with the blinds shut, there was no mistaking the sudden flash of light. It was bright enough to make Jack's eyes water, and it was several moments before he managed to blink away the after images. Then the shockwave hit and all hell broke loose. Jack had been through worse, but it was clear that most of these people hadn't. They were already shaken up from the landing and being in this place was the last thing they wanted. Despite his shouts, Jack couldn't stop them heading for the emergency exits. They didn't realise that being outside was a whole lot worse.

None of them had been prepared to see the mushroom cloud dominating the sky.

Beautiful, terrible … Jack found himself staring at it in awe. He realised now that the world would never be the same again. Even if they'd won, even if the creatures were gone… A scar had been left on the Earth, one that would take many years to heal.

XOXOXO

_It lived. Deep in the belly of the plane, it came to consciousness. For a time it thought it was alone, that all of its brothers and sisters had perished. But soon it began to sense the others of its kind moving about in the darkness. _

_They were alone. It was certain of that. The two-legged ones must have been here at one time, but it could no longer sense their presence. No matter. They would find them eventually. The enemy seemed to have a need to gather, to live in communities… making them vulnerable. _

_Even though it had only been 'alive' for a few hours, it had already absorbed the collective unconscious of its race. It knew the history; it knew what these humans had done._

_And it was ready to wipe them off the face of the planet_.


	8. Chapter 8

**Six Months After**

It couldn't be morning already. But the sun shining in through the dirty window told her otherwise and, reluctantly, Sam Carter rolled off the narrow bunk and prepared to face the day. Not that she could really do much. She'd slept in her clothes. Until they got some rain, there wasn't enough water left for her to take a shower. The best she could do was tie her hair back… and try not to think how horrible it felt.

Six months, two days and an indeterminate number of minutes…

Someone, somewhere would know, but Sam had given up counting. She just took each day as it came. Anything else would dive you crazy.

"Sam, are you finished in there?"

Sam gritted her teeth at the sound of Mitchell's voice. It served as another reminder that it was time to get back to work. He'd been on patrol all night and needed the bed.

"All yours," she told him as she yanked open the door.

He looked like crap… then again they all did but Sam took pity on him.

"Want to go and get some breakfast?" she offered.

"Hash browns like Grandma used to make?"

There was a wistful tone to his voice and Sam hated to disappoint him.

"I think there's something left over from last night."

"Do we actually know what animal went into that stew?"

"Probably best not to ask."

His need for sleep was probably the overriding factor right now, but Cam did an about face and accompanied Sam to the commissary. Firstly, he probably did need to get something to eat. Even though the meals were unappetising, they still had to eat. They needed every able bodied man and woman to stay that way.

But their journey had another purpose. During her time at the SGC, Sam had learned many things… one of them being the need to maintain a certain visibility to the people under your command. Even though the SGC, the USAF, no longer existed, they still had to maintain some kind of command structure. She and Cam needed to present a united front… even if the reality was sometimes a little strained.

The food was cold. They couldn't spare the power to provide more than one hot meal a day. The stew was even less appetising than it had been the night before. Sam tried not to gag as she spooned the greasy mess into a bowl. Following Cam, she took a seat at one of the trestle tables. They didn't have much to say to each other. Their current situation precluded small talk. You couldn't talk about the game, or what was on TV… those things just didn't exist any more. There was still the weather…

"So how's it going?" Cam asked.

Or that. Sam glanced around. There were a few other people eating but no one near enough to overhear. Even so, she lowered her voice and leaned a little closer.

"Not as well as I'd like. I can put Orlin's Gate back together again, but I don't know about a power supply. It takes a lot of power to reach the Pegasus Galaxy. We don't have a ZPM. Of course Colonel O'Neill managed to create one with Ancient knowledge..."

"And you're saying you're not that smart."

"Not quite."

Sam struggled to keep the anger out of her voice as she tried to smile. Cam's derogatory jokes about her intelligence were wearing a little thin. Eventually she was going to hit him and it wasn't as if anyone could Court Martial for it.

"But if you get it working?" he went on.

"That's a big but. "

"Sam…"

"How are the defences holding up?" She changed the subject.

"No problem."

He had been on patrol all night, checking the perimeter, making certain the force field was holding.

"Are they still out there?"

"Yeah."

It was a stupid question... of course they were still out there. The Goa'uld force field was powered by their one and only naquadah reactor, it kept the humans inside and their enemies out… at least for now. If it failed, Area 51 would suffer the same fate as the rest of the planet. These creatures killed without mercy, without remorse. Sam still had trouble believing the speed at which they'd spread across the planet. If they'd been stupid mindless animals then maybe they could have been contained, but the nature of their intellect made predicting their behaviour difficult. By the time anyone had realised that they couldn't be destroyed by conventional means, it had been too late. They were everywhere. The creatures had managed to find their way onto boats and aircraft, pre-empting the mass evacuation of the US… and had managed to spread themselves across the planet.

There had been some halfhearted attempts to slow the advance with nuclear deterrents. Now there was no one left to press the button.

Having finished his meal, and having run out of things to say, Mitchell bid Sam farewell and departed for his well-deserved rest. Sam, however, found herself lingering. She had no desire to return to the lab for another day's fruitless effort.

Without the Stargate, there had been no way to get in touch with any of their allies. The Daedelus, The Odyssey, The Korolev had all been dispatched to the Pegasus Galaxy, taking away the sick, the injured… with instructions not to return until they'd heard from the SGC. The message never was sent and there was no one to ride to the rescue.

The only way to make contact with their allies was to make another Stargate, which was the reason they had come to Area 51. Sam's first task had been to secure the base and she'd managed to cobble together a force field. It was only then that she'd gone looking for Orlin's Stargate. The people who had come to her house, who had violated her home, had removed it before she'd had chance to examine the device. She'd lost track of it after that, only to find that the scientists here had done a damn find job of dismantling it. Sam had almost cried when she'd found it in a box… in pieces.

But it was their last hope. If they ever wanted to change what was happening here, they had to send a message.

XOXOXO

Vala Mal Doran had never thought her life would end this way. She'd expected a blaze of glory… one prank too many. Not that she was dying… not yet… and maybe that was the worst part. Sometimes she wished that she'd never pushed to join SG-1. If she'd never been part of the team then maybe they wouldn't have been obligated to save her life. She didn't even know why they had come to this place. Vala had a vague memory of being in a car and driving through the night. The road had been rough and no one had thought to restrain her body to stop her being knocked about.

Most of her time was spent alone. Colonel Carter and Colonel Mitchell visited her when they could, but neither stayed long. Vala didn't blame them for being uncomfortable with the extent of her disability.

The pain didn't worry her so much. She was used to it. Spend any time as a Goa'uld host and you developed a certain tolerance to physical discomfort. What she really hated was the fact she was completely reliant on the people around her. She supposed she should be grateful that they were taking care of her but… If she'd had access to a knife, she suspected she might have tried to end it there and then.

If it hadn't been for Daniel, Vala probably would have found a way. He was the only person who didn't seem repulsed by her. Or if he was, he didn't show it. Sometimes her anger chased him away, but he always came back. Vala didn't like to admit that most of her depression was due to loneliness. No one here had time for a cripple and a freak. There was a bell on a table beside her bed. Put there to ring for assistance any time she might need it… And Vala hated the damn thing. Looking at it now, she felt something snap inside and she shot out her hand and knocked it over. It fell to the floor with a satisfying clang and rolled under the bed.

No one heard it.

No one came.

For a while, the act of rebellion made her feel a little better. However, Vala was soon faced with the prosaic reality of needing to use the bathroom.

"Daniel!" she called out, "Somebody!"

Her voice, once so strong, was nothing more than a whisper, but she was dammed if she was going to let herself suffer the ignominy of wetting the bed. Putting all of her effort into the movement, Vala rolled off. Luckily, it was fairly low down so it didn't hurt too much when she hit the floor. She lay there for a few seconds, staring at the floor tiles as she tried to get her breath back.

Okay. She could do this. The bathroom wasn't that far away. Her arms still worked just fine and Vala was sure she could drag herself there. With a new determination, she managed to push her torso up of the floor and pull herself along. It was more difficult than she imagined and she quickly wore herself out. She no longer seemed to have any upper body strength at all.

It was no good, she couldn't do it.

Vala was reduced to lying on the floor of her room, sobbing in frustration. Getting back into bed just wasn't going to happen, and she hoped someone would think to check on her before long. She was in luck. The door opened barely ten minutes later and Daniel backed into the room, carrying her breakfast on a tray…which he almost dropped when he saw her.

His strong arms pulled her close to his body, comforting her as she sobbed.

"Bathroom," she managed to gasp.

Daniel didn't seem to mind what he did for her. He carried her to the bathroom, and then back to her bed. He watched as she pushed her breakfast around the plate.

"You should eat something," he told her.

"Why?" Vala replied.

"Okay… you want to tell me what this is all about?" he asked.

There really didn't seem to be much point in answering the question. Vala knew they would both be better off if she weren't the way she was.

"Daniel," she began.

"What?"

"I need you to do something for me."

He refused before she had even finished asking the question.

"Look at me, Daniel! I can't live like this," Vala raged.

"I'm not going to help you Vala."

She'd seldom seen him look so determined and Vala realised she would be watched far more carefully in the future.

XOXOXO

"You've got to let me tell her."

Sam looked up from her work to see Daniel standing at the other side of the bench. She'd been so engrossed in what she was doing that she hadn't even heard him come in.

"Daniel…"

"She was lying on the floor… she'd tried to get to the bathroom by herself and she couldn't… you know it wouldn't hurt for you and Mitchell to go and see her once in a while."

He was right. That was what made his comment so painful. Sam knew she should spend some more time with Vala but somehow she always managed to find something more important to do.

"I'll drop by later," she agreed, hoping he'd go away.

But Daniel… being Daniel wasn't satisfied.

"Sam…"

"And tell her what? That we can change all this? That we can put it back the way it was before?"

"It's what you're trying to do."

Yes it was, but Sam didn't think she could ever make him understand that there were no guarantees. Every time she thought about the number of variables involved, she just wanted to give up.

"It's one of the things we're trying to do," Sam reminded Daniel, "If we can contact Atlantis the we can get everyone out of here and maybe they'll be able to help Vala."

"And maybe they won't."

"Daniel… first I have to get this damn gate working, then we have to contact Atlantis and hope they can get to us with someone who can fly the time ship…"

Sam shook her head, trying to bring herself under control.

The idea was simple enough, go back in time . An Ancient time ship was accurate over a range of less than a thousand years, but it would get them to the past.

Easy… right.

The Ancient gene was rare. They knew that, but she'd held out hope that they'd find someone… And she tried to forget the man who could have done it for them. Jack O'Neill had been at Peterson, and no one knew if he'd managed to get out.

"Still no news?" Daniel asked in a gentler tone.

"No," Sam said.

They didn't really expect any. Only in her deepest thoughts, did Sam hold out any hope that General O'Neill might still be alive... or if he was that General Landry and Teal'c might find him. Sam had her private suspicions as to why Landry had left them here. Finding one man wasn't the task for a General. He should be here, in command of the base, offering them guidance, raising their morale when depression threatened to overwhelm them. Instead, he had gone off on some kind of guilt trip.

Unless one happened to have X-ray vision or a note from the future, no one could have stopped this happening. Landry hadn't given any order telling them to open the box… he hadn't expressly forbidden it either. He'd seen that his people were safe here, Sam would give him that, but he'd left as soon as the opportunity arose. His excuses had been transparent. There were others here as familiar with Colorado Springs as Landry. Instead, he had taken the burden upon himself and left Mitchell and herself in charge. They were lucky he'd agreed to take Teal'c with him. Sam was of the private opinion that the former Jaffa was their best chance of finding O'Neill.

It wasn't that Sam was afraid of the responsibility; however, the people here needed one leader and not two. Splitting command was dividing the group. The fate of the human race was a stake and Sam wasn't about to let Mitchell make any mistakes. There was friction between the two of them and everyone knew it. But if anything, Sam was at a disadvantage when it came to a battle of wills. She had to spend time in the lab. There was no one else here who was capable of leading the scientific effort.

"So I can tell her?" Daniel pushed.

"It might make her worse."

"And it might make her hold on a little longer. I'm losing her Sam… and I can't do that."

"I'm sorry, Daniel."

She didn't want to give anyone false hope when there was none.


	9. Chapter 9

Cigarettes and alcohol… completely useless… The store had been stripped of anything that was vaguely edible, but Jack still picked up a bottle of whisky and slipped it into his pocket. There had been times that he'd appreciated the numbness inebriation brought. He'd drink enough to black out and hope he didn't wake up again. Those days were long past. Now, alcohol was nothing more than a good disinfectant.

The small town was deserted. If anyone there was anyone living here, they weren't choosing to make their presence known. Jack couldn't exactly blame them. If their positions were reversed, he wouldn't want to share supplies either… or give away his hiding place. Survival of the fittest was the rule. Jack didn't know if he was good enough to fall into that category, but he was good enough to have kept himself alive this long.

The next place he tried had once been a McDonalds and the stench of rotting meat almost made him sick. Ronald McDonald smiled down as Jack slid across the counter and started to root through the kitchen.

Food and fresh water were his main concerns right now. For once in his life, he was glad that the human race had placed so much investment into plastic packaging and bottled water. Supplies would run out eventually, but for the moment Jack was taking every day as it came. Sometimes, he thought it would have been a whole lot easier if he'd been alone but he was physically incapable of leaving anyone behind.

When Jack had finally stepped outside the and seen the devastation, he'd been ready to give up. But some had survived. Children mostly, kids who were small enough to hide themselves away in the cupboards and the attics. He was certain that he hadn't managed to save them all, but the fact he still had a band of twenty alive and more or less well made Jack feel just that little bit better. He had no idea what the future might hold. At some level, he still hoped that one of Earth's allies might come riding to the rescue.

Teal'c and Hank Landry were the next best thing.

How they had managed to track them down, Jack wasn't sure but Hank's offer had been a beguiling one. But he and Landry had nearly come to blows, when Jack had refused to give up his groups of kids.

What Landry had offered was a possibility but these people were reality… and possibly the only one he'd ever know.

None of the people he'd gathered was capable of a forced march. Much to Landry's annoyance, they were taking this in easy stages. It was roughly 800 miles between Colorado Springs and Area 51, they were lucky if they managed to cover ten miles a day. Occasionally, they came across a bus that still had fuel in its tank, but the supply of gas was severely limited. And the noise sometimes drew unwelcome attention. Sometimes it was from other humans… sometimes it was something worse. Even so, without mechanical transport, Jack didn't think they would have made it this far.

Looking around, Jack realised that there was little here that was going to be of any use. Fast food was never of much nutritional value when fresh… six months old and it was nothing more than mulch. Jack did raid the fridge though, taking as much bottled water as he could carry. He was surprised it had been left almost untouched… or maybe no one had managed to get past the smell of rotting Big Macs.

He was about to move on when he heard something. In a world that was mostly silent, the slightest sound was enough to make him take the safety off his P90 and duck down beneath the counter. Whatever was out there, he was certain it wasn't one of them or it would have attacked already. A desperate human was still dangerous, but at least a bullet to the chest would stop them.

He heard it again. Whoever it was, they were somewhere behind him. Jack turned around, about to shoot first and ask questions later, when he noticed a small figure with untidy blonde hair cross his field of vision. Jack let his gun hang.

"Hello?" he called out in what he hoped was a reassuring tone.

There was no reply. Pushing himself upright, Jack followed the fleeing figure. As he had suspected, she hadn't gone far. The room must have once been the manager's office. It had been turned into Happy Meal Heaven… or Hell, depending on your perspective. The cheap toys seemed to cover every available surface. Beneath the desk, the little girl had built what could only be described as a nest. She was huddled there now, almost invisible beneath the pillows and blankets.

Ignoring the pain in his knees, Jack crouched down to make himself look less intimidating.

"Hello," he said.

Unsurprisingly, the little girl didn't reply. She stared at him, her large brown eyes curious rather than scared.

"My name's Jack," he went on, "what's yours?"

She shook her head.

"Don't want to talk? Okay, that's fine by me. I'm not much of a talker myself."

Jack couldn't leave her here. She seemed to have survived an indeterminate time by herself, but that didn't mean she was safe. He knew only too well that there were other people out there, people who would have no qualms about hurting this child. He sat back on his heels for a moment, wondering about the best way to tempt her out. It wasn't like he could deliver toys or ice cream.

"Look, I have some friends," he began, "some other kids and they'd love to have you come play with them."

Again there was a shake of the head.

"I bet your mom and dad told you not to go with strangers?"

This time she nodded.

"Are mom and dad around? I'd like to talk with them?"

As he watched, her eyes filled with tears. If she'd had parents close by then maybe he could have left her here.

"You hungry?"

She nodded.

"I know a place you can get something to eat. Then, when you're finished, you can come back here. How does that sound?"

Jack held out his hand, hoping the girl would take it. She stared at him for what seemed like the longest time. He didn't move, until eventually she took his hand in hers. Jack started to lead her out, but she stopped suddenly, pulling away from him as she ran back into the room. At first, he thought that he'd have to entice her out all over again, but she quickly returned with half a dozen toys clutched to her chest.

They'd set up camp in a church close to the edge of town. It was a fair distance and Jack found himself carrying the child for most of the way. Teal'c was on guard outside the church and he raised an eyebrow when he noticed Jack's latest charge.

"What!" Jack demanded, as he helped the girl up the steps.

"General Landry will not be pleased," Teal'c replied.

"Well he can just go screw himself."

"Indeed."

"What the hell was I supposed to do T?"

"I am not judging your actions, O'Neill."

"Good."

Not that Jack was particularly worried about facing up to Landry, but it was nice to have at least one person on his side.

He set the girl down as he entered the church, but she held onto his hand as heads turned towards her. Although there were only twenty people there, to the child it must have been daunting. Jack signalled to one of the other kids. The boy was a couple of years older than the girl was, but he had proven himself to be unusually steady and reliable. He kind of reminded Jack of Charlie.

"Hey, Kyle could you look after my friend here?" Jack asked.

"Sure Jack," Kyle nodded.

Kneeling down again, Jack turned the girl to face him.

"There's some stuff I have to do. I want you to stay with Kyle. Can you do that for me?"

She looked at Kyle, then back at Jack. Very slowly, she offered one of her toys to Kyle.

XOXOXO

As Hank Landry watched Jack's interaction with the children, he couldn't tell if he were angry or jealous… or both. He couldn't help remembering how sour his relationship with his own child had been. And the fact that it was far too late to do anything about it. He and Carolyn had made some attempts to reconcile, but the words too late had never been more appropriate. She had died the day the creatures had taken the SGC. Dear God he'd tried, but the SGC had become her tomb.

No man should have to outlive his own chid. He'd heard Jack say that once, when the two of them had been very drunk. Hank was aware of O'Neill's background. Sometimes he'd wondered if the other man was weak in some way, believing that there was something fundamentally wrong with someone who took a dangerous mission as a way of committing suicide. Hank had never for a moment expected to find himself in the same situation.

This was suicide. He'd always known that, but he'd expected a blaze of glory and not this slow creeping death. Jack's insistence that he wouldn't leave anyone behind was condemning them all. It didn't matter. None of it mattered.

Sooner or later, the creatures would find them and kill them.

Or, Colonel Carter would manage another miracle and none of this would have happened.

"Another one?" was all Hank said as Jack came to join him.

"She can't survive alone."

"Jack…"

"Look Hank, I know Carter's got this fancy idea about changing the past…"

"And you have to admit she has a pretty good record when it comes to saving the world."

"Even if she does pull it off there's no guarantee we can change any of this. Causality is very complicated."

Hank had never thought that Jack even knew the world.

"Well it's definitely not going to work unless I can get you back to Area 51 in one piece. And I'm not sure we're going to be able to do that with all of this baggage."

"Then they'll just have to find someone else."

The man was nothing if not pigheaded. He couldn't seem to understand that there wasn't anyone else… not in this galaxy at any rate. Hank was now starting to wonder if Colonel Carter had managed to use her Stargate to contact Atlantis. He was certain that John Shepherd would be easier to deal with than O'Neill.

Hank wasn't used to questioning himself or his decisions. Right now he'd give anything to believe that Sam Carter would succeed… and he'd get Carolyn back.

"O'Neill! General Landry!"

Teal'c's shout held a degree of panic that Hank had seldom heard. He and Jack abandoned their argument and hurried to the front of the church. The doors had been shut and Teal'c was hastily erecting a barricade.

"How many?" Jack asked as he moved to assist Teal'c.

It didn't really matter. One of them was capable of killing everyone here. Hank would like to think that they would pass this place by, but somehow he doubted it. They could sense human life and would slay anything that was alive. If Jack hadn't saved the girl… she would be dead by now.

"Get them out of here!" Hank ordered.

"What about you?" Jack demanded.

"I'm going to buy you some time."

"Hank… that no one gets left behind thing. It applies to you too."

"Then come back for me."

They both knew there was no way that was going to happen. If Jack managed to get anyone out of here then they had to keep running.

"Hank…" he tried again, but his protest was a weak one.

"Go," Landry repeated.

He wanted this. He needed this. He needed to save these children, as he'd been unable to save his own. Jack nodded once. A silent vow of respect before he raised his voice…

"This way!"

Hank watched as Jack and Teal'c ushered their charges towards the back exit of the church. There wasn't time for anyone to gather their belongings, meagre though they might have been. The child Jack had brought in was crying. She didn't want to leave her cheap McDonalds toys behind. Jack scooped her up under his arm and carried her out.

Her tearful face was the last human thing Hank saw.

He could hear his enemy now, scraping at the front door, ascertaining its strength's and weaknesses. Hank moved away a little. Ducking down behind one of the pews, he raised his P90. Unless he got lucky and managed to hit the underbelly, a bullet wouldn't stop them… but it might slow them down.

The doors creaked as a sudden weight was pushed against them. Hank risked one glance behind. For one cowardly moment, he wished that he'd gone with them.


	10. Chapter 10

It was as if they had a vendetta against the whole human race, Cameron Mitchell thought as he watched the creatures moving beyond the force field. More seemed to gather every day and Mitchell realised that they were intent on wiping out this little corner of humanity. At first, he'd been sure they weren't the only ones left alive, but as time went on, he started to have his doubts. It had been weeks since they'd had any contact with anyone else and the last reports hadn't been encouraging. Mitchell realised that their survival had been down to Sam Carter's genius … and everyone knew it.

Sometimes, he admitted to himself, he did get a little jealous. He didn't have the smarts to do the things she did. If she were just some geeky scientist then maybe he could have coped, but the fact she seemed to be superwoman got to him. If sometimes he was an ass to her then it was only to be expected. At least that was what he told himself.

He could see himself living out the rest of his days here, trapped behind a fence. These creatures didn't seem to want to give up and go away. Why should they when they were within a gnat's whisker of genocide? Some nights Mitchell actually found himself praying that the Ori would show up and destroy these things… and he'd gladly bow down and worship them. His trips through the Stargate seemed like nothing more than a distant memory, a childhood fantasy. Mitchell knew he'd never walk among the stars again.

All he'd wanted was to live up to everyone else's expectations. To be the hero everyone told him he was, and now… now he couldn't even fly the damned time ship. God knew but he'd tried. Almost every night for the first month, he'd crept into the hanger where the time ship was stored and tried his hardest to make the lights come on. Cam knew there was nothing he could do about his genetic make-up, but it still annoyed that there was an aircraft he couldn't fly.

It was almost dawn. Almost the end of his shift. He would be glad when he could start working days again. Right now his body clock was completely screwed, but the secret of a good command was to do every job yourself at least once. Someone had told him that, but right now, he couldn't recall who it had been.

God, he needed to sleep. He was starting to hallucinate. Like, if he looked towards the horizon he could see the kind of dust cloud raised by a small bus. It was just a figment of his tired brain. As was the muffled roar of an engine and the whiff of diesel…

Or not!

There really was someone out there! For a second Cameron stood there transfixed, unable to decide what to do. The forcefield was their only means of protection, but the nutter in the bus was heading straight for it. He'd kill himself… and any unfortunate sap he might have with him. Mitchell wasn't about to let that happen. There were too few humans on this planet.

"Carter!" he yelled into his radio.

"What?" her sleepy voice demanded.

"We got incoming."

"Hostile." 

"No… at least I hope not."

Sooner than he imagined was possible, Sam came running out. She saw the bus and went straight for the Naquadah reactor. That was one thing he liked about Carter. She made her own decisions. He didn't have to think for her.

"Lock and load!" Cam ordered.

As soon as the force field dropped, the creatures would swarm. The electric fence would fry a few of them but… Mitchell hated to think what might happen if any of them managed to get inside the compound. Carter was crouched over the reactor, ready to switch it off when the moment came. This was not some random event. Whoever was driving the bus knew exactly where they were heading. Mitchell signalled for two men to man the gate.

The creatures, alerted by the noise, were moving towards the vehicle but the driver didn't even slow down and drove straight over them. Cameron found himself cheering as the screams of anguish rent the air. Score one for the humans. The victory, however, was short lived. More and more of them swarmed towards the bus and soon it was lost to view beneath the seething mass.

"Carter, kill the force field," Mitchell ordered. "You, you and you with me."

He wasn't about to stand there and let a busload of people get slaughtered. Mitchell signalled for the gate to be opened just wide enough for a small team to get through.

He just hoped they'd be enough of a distraction.

They started firing as soon as the shimmer of the force field died. Even though their bullets had little effect, attacking on two fronts, it was enough to attract some of the creatures away from the bus. Sometimes Mitchell wondered how intelligent these things actually were… or weather it was pure hatred that made them want to kill every human that came within reach. All he knew was there were suddenly dozens of heading towards him.

"Fall back!" he screamed.

As they scurried back into the compound, he had to hope they'd done enough. The forcefield was still down and the creatures were heading towards them… but the bus was closer.

"Carter now!"

In the seconds it took for Sam to respond to his order, the bus had passed the threshold and the forcefield shimmered into life. There was a certain amount of satisfaction to be gained from the sight of their enemy hurling themselves helplessly against the invisible wall.

The bus skidded to a halt, a cloud of black smoke billowing from the exhaust and Cam realised they had to be almost out of fuel. It was a miracle they'd made it.

XOXOXO

Sam checked the Naquadah reactor as quickly as she dared. There was no way they could risk it failing. As such, her attention wasn't focussed on the people climbing out of the bus. It was only as she heard a child's scream that she looked up. There had to be upwards of twenty people gathered around the vehicle, most of them children. Sam's first thought was how they were going to feed them all. But it wasn't one she was about to vocalise. They'd find a way.

Dusting off her knees, she climbed to her feet, ready to join the group surrounding the newcomers. However, someone was coming to meet her. A small blonde child carried on his hip, there was no mistaking the swagger in his walk or the smirk on his face. Sam just stood there, torn between rushing towards him and running away.

"Sir?"

She hadn't meant to make it sound like a question. It was him… but so much time had passed. So much had happened and she had no idea what he'd been through to get here. He put the child down, letting her sit down in the dirt and play with the toy she had clutched in her hand.

"Carter," he said.

"Landry?" Sam asked. She could see Teal'c amongst the gathering, but there was no sign of the General. Confirming her worst fears, O'Neill shook his head and Sam felt another little part of her would crumble. To disguise her grief, she turned her attention to the little girl. She ruffled the child's hair.

"Let's see if we can find you some place to sleep," she said.

The child glanced at O'Neill before taking the hand that Sam offered. Of all of them, the kids seemed to be the least affected by the dramatic arrival. Sam guessed this was the stuff their dreams were made of. Exciting escapes for the jaws of death were something out of childhood imagination. They weren't old enough to realise that it wasn't part of 'normal' life.

Even if food was scarce, there was plenty of dormitory space and Sam spent the next hour making sure everyone was settled … anything to avoid talking to O'Neill. He was here and they had a far better chance of putting their plan into action. They didn't need to contact Atlantis now. Changing all this should be as simple as taking the time ship back to a point in time where the box was present in the tomb. All they had to do was remove it… and make certain that Daniel Jackson never found it again.

And then what?

The truth was Sam had no idea. They'd changed the past before and their lives hadn't changed because of it. Or if they had, the alterations had bypassed their awareness. Did their alternative selves live out their lives in Earth's past? Or did they just fade away? For some reason the idea scared her. The last few months had been tough and she would give anything for her life to return to normal… but she didn't want to lose an essential part of what she had become.

Sam managed to avoid O'Neill for most of the day, but she couldn't keep away forever. She was in her lab. when he found her, and Sam cursed herself for choosing to hide out in such an obvious place. There was a certain thrill of familiarity when she looked up to see him leaning against the door.

"Did you get the kids settled?" she asked.

"Bedtime stories and all," he replied.

It was late. Despite the early start to her day, Sam hadn't taken the opportunity to rest. There was still so much to be done. Even if they left tomorrow, there was no guarantee that their mission back in time would be successful. Certain safeguards had to be left in place… just in case.

"Happy to see me?" he asked.

"Always, sir," Sam smiled.

Her grin was genuine, if a little tentative. He'd certainly lost weight. Last time Sam had seen him, it had been evident that life behind a desk had expanded his waistline slightly. There was certainly no sign of that now.

"Did Mitchell fill you in?" she went on, all business. It seemed safer that way.

"Yeah, I'm ready to go when you are," he replied.

"There's just one more thing I want to finish up." 

Sam turned back to her workbench, only to find that her hand had been gently but firmly taken in his.

"The past's not going anywhere," he reprimanded her.

"I know… it's just… this is for Vala."

Nodding his understanding, Jack released Sam's hand.

"I'll see you in the morning."

XOXOXO

Vala didn't look convinced. Daniel knew that Sam had slaved all night to get this finished, but he couldn't help feeling that the other woman was taking it as some kind of insult. He couldn't exactly blame her. Daniel wasn't certain how he would have responded to this obvious reminder of her disability. On the other hand, if it helped her become more independent then surely it was worth persevering.

"Shall we go outside?" he offered.

She shrugged giving the impression that she didn't care one way or the other.

"Give us a moment," Daniel told the others.

He didn't want a parade of people following. Walking round behind Vala, he grasped the wheelchair and started to push it out of the room.

"Wait," she stopped him.

"What?"

"I'll do it myself. Isn't that the point?"

Daniel immediately stepped back, letting Vala wheel the chair herself. She got a little stuck at the door, but he didn't dare help.

"Ha," he heard her say as she finally managed to get herself out into the corridor.

"Thank you," Daniel whispered to Sam, before following Vala.

"You're welcome," Sam smiled.

Vala was wheeling herself down the corridor with a certain amount of determination. Daniel had to hurry to open the door otherwise he suspected she would have gone right through it. She'd spent the last six months more or less imprisoned in the same room and no one but no one, was going to stop her getting outside. The expression on her face, when she finally reached her goal, was beautiful to behold.

The sun was shining and she turned her face towards it, closing her eyes as she took deep breaths of the warm air. Figuring she was going to be there for a while, Daniel sat down beside her. It wasn't a particularly inspiring view. The grey blocky buildings could never be described as attractive, but if you hadn't been outside in months…

Somewhere in the distance, Daniel caught the sound of childish laughter. There was a rumour going around that Jack had turned up with a bus load of kids. Daniel hadn't had the chance to see for himself but it seemed the stories were true. Three children dashed into view, playing some incomprehensible game that defied adult logic. They ran around Vala's chair, Daniel wanted to stop them, just in case they banged against it and knocked it over, but the expression on her face stopped him. She was smiling, genuinely happy.

Eventually the game took them to another part of the compound, and the smile faded.

"Do you want to go in?" Daniel ventured, wondering at this sudden change in mood.

"Not yet," she said.

He had the feeling she'd stay exactly where she was, even if it started raining.

"Daniel?" she began.

"What?"

"You're going to leave… aren't you?"

"How did you…?"

"It's only my legs that don't work."

She wasn't angry. There was a resignation in her tone that made Daniel think she'd been expecting this.

"I have to," he replied.

When Jack turned up Daniel realised that there was no longer any reason why Sam's plan couldn't be put into action. He also knew that he had to go. Archaeologists were just as rare as those who carried the Ancient gene.

"I know," she smiled.

"Vala if there was another way…"

"It's okay. I mean… I'm okay…"

"I'll be back soon, I promise."

She nodded, almost as if she didn't believe him. Which he supposed was the truth. If they succeeded then none of this would happen… and he wouldn't be back. If they failed… Daniel just didn't know. He couldn't offer false promise, not to this woman. She had been disappointed too many times before.

"Let's just sit here," she went on. "Enjoy the day."

Taking his hand, Vala held it tightly… as if she didn't want to let him go.


	11. Chapter 11

"Just like old times," Jack O'Neill said as he settled himself behind the controls of the timeship.

He hoped he didn't sound as nervous as he felt. It had been two years since his transfer to Washington ...two years since SG-1 had been together. Two long years when the very substance of their lives had fallen apart.

Still, the old team was back together again and it shouldn't take them long to slip back into the familiar routine.

Jack had felt a little guilty about ordering Mitchell to wait behind. The kid had been so eager to go along… but someone had to stay at home and mind the store. Each member of SG-1 had their role to play. Jack needed Carter in case something went wrong with the timeship, Daniel because he was the only one who could understand the time they were going to and Teal'c… just because he was Teal'c. Jack needed the familiarity of his own team.

Mitchell had taken the news as well as could be expected. He followed orders and that was more valuable to Jack than any display of heroics. The people at Area 51 would be safe in Cameron's very capable hands.

Closing his eyes, Jack felt for the controls of the ship. The mental link was a subtle one. He had to have a clear idea of what he wanted… where he wanted to go. It had been a while, but none the less, he was relieved when the ship took off.

He couldn't help smile at the thrill of flying again. Just for the heck of it, Jack took the ship into space, so he could look at his homeworld from orbit. Up above the clouds it was painfully evident how much the planet had changed.

There were no lights on the dark side of the Earth.

"How far back do we need to go?" Jack asked Daniel. He didn't want to stay up here any longer than he had to. The silent Earth was damning him. Even now, Jack found himself wondering how he could have stopped this. If he had still been in command of the SGC, would he have done anything different?

"It doesn't really matter. We just have to get there sometime before our original expedition," Carter piped up.

Jack winced as he heard her voice. He knew that… but she still had to point it out to him. He wasn't mad at her, really he wasn't, but over the past two years he'd forgotten several of her little personality quirks. Stating the obvious was one of them. He guessed that was partially his fault for acting dumb most of the time.

"Or…" Daniel began.

"Or what?"

"We could aim for the late pre-classic period when the temple was being built."

"And when exactly was that?"

"Around two thousand years ago."

"You want to gatecrash the funeral?"

"I wouldn't put it in those terms… exactly."

Jack was glad to hear Daniel slipping into the old banter. He had been a little worried about his friend … more precisely, Daniel's dedication to Vala. It had been many years since he'd seen him so passionate about another human being… not since Sha're.

"Let's see how close we can get," Jack muttered.

He had no idea how this technology worked and perhaps it was better that way. If he had to think about how he was reaching his destination then he probably wouldn't get there.

"Here goes," he muttered.

There was no physical sensation. When Jack opened his eyes again, it took him several seconds to realise that something had shifted.

"Look at the stars," Carter whispered.

She was right. The patterns had changed.

"You think we made it?" Jack questioned.

But Carter just shrugged. It was impossible to tell, but they'd definitely gone somewhere. Without another word, Jack started to take the ship down towards Central America.

***

Teal'c was the first to notice that O'Neill was unwell. He knew that the General was a good pilot… one of the best. Just the slightest hesitation in his movements was enough to warn Teal'c that all was not as it should be. However, there was little he could do to remedy the situation. O'Neill was the only one who could fly this ship.

The landing was rough. They dropped out of a clear sky, and O'Neill barely waited to get the door open before he stumbled down the ramp. A retching could be heard from outside, but no one went to investigate. They all wanted to give him the dignity of being ill in private.

When he staggered back onboard, he was a white as the proverbial sheet.

"Why don't you kids go and look around. I'll just sit here for a while," he mumbled, sliding down the nearest wall.

Daniel Jackson and Colonel Carter exchange worried glances.

"I will stay with O'Neill," Teal'c volunteered.

This was not a moment for indecision. Teal'c did not want to see this mission fail because of one man's indisposition… or make that the refusal of his teammates to leave O'Neill here alone.

"I'll be okay," the man protested.

Colonel Carter knelt down by O'Neill's side, methodically checking his pulse and body temperature. O'Neill tried to crawl away from her, but he didn't get very far. Teal'c guessed that she'd satisfied herself that he was not in any immediate danger when she said.

"Call us if he gets any worse."

"You have my word," Teal'c replied.

"Thanks T," O'Neill whispered when the others had left.

Teal'c nodded his acceptance of the other man's words. He did not feel the need to say more. Teal'c was worried about something else. The trace of a memory. Two thousand years, and this part of the planet had changed very little. Since they had been here last, he'd had little reason to recall the events that had started them on this path. He'd managed to distract himself with, amongst other things, the search for O'Neill. It was only now that he was back, that he forced himself to remember.

Like, O'Neill, Teal'c had been overcome with a mystery illness. He'd stumbled away from his friends, into the jungle and he'd seen… himself.

Teal'c had never discussed his vision with anyone. His human friends would have told him that he'd seen a ghost, but Jaffa did not believe in them. Teal'c was certain there was some other explanation for the vision he'd seen. A waking dream? A prophecy? He had no experience of such things. Master Bra'tac may have known, but he was many light years away.

Teal'c was no coward, and he would have killed any many who questioned his honour, even so, he was glad of the excuse to stay in the ship. He wondered if there wasn't another O'Neill out there somewhere. A man stumbling through the trees, searching for a place to die. Teal'c had no desire for his friend to meet such a shade alone. They would face the unknown together and perhaps find an explanation.

***

Daniel couldn't help feeling guilty as he and Sam hacked their way through the jungle. Here they were, the future of the Earth at stake, a woman he cared for an invalid, Jack overcome by some mysterious illness… and Daniel was actually enjoying himself.

He had honestly believed that his days as an archaeologist were over. That he was cursed to spend the rest of his days eking out a miserable existence on a dying Earth. Not that he had actually expected his life to last that long. Eventually, the shields protecting Area 51 would fail… and the bugs would win.

Even if this mission was a complete failure, Daniel was glad of the reprieve. Anything was better than spending another day holed up in Area 51 … another day looking after Vala. He didn't begrudge the time he spent with her, but he had never realised how exhausting being a carer could be. Any time away was going to feel like a holiday.

"What are we expecting to find?" Sam asked when they stopped for a rest.

Jack had deliberately landed the ship some distance from the city. Which was great from a security point of view, but not so favourable for two people who had let themselves get slightly out of condition.

"We should have hit the late pre-classic period. I'm hoping around the time when the inner tomb was being constructed," Daniel replied.

"One was constructed on top of the other?"

"Exactly. We should have arrived before the outer pyramid was constructed."

"So we can go in, grab the box and…"

"Change the future."

"I hope it works," she said, quietly.

"Me too."

They reached the outskirts of the city just before sunset. Daniel had walked on many alien worlds, but even so his first glimpse of the city astounded him. Intellectually, he had known that, by all accounts, the Mayan civilization was unusually sophisticated. But he'd never expected to experience it first hand, at least not on his own planet. The city was in its infancy; transforming itself from a village culture to something else entirely. There were signs of construction everywhere. Daniel tried to reconcile the layout with the overgrown ruins he had viewed two millennia in the future but he found it difficult. Not all of the landmark structures were in place.

Cities built on the lowland plains had a tendency to sprawl and this one was no exception. The rain forest surrounding it was uncultivated, making it difficult to navigate. Even using the largest buildings as a guide was problematic when the vegetation grew so dense that it blocked out the view. It was full night by the time they stood beneath the half-finished stepped pyramid. Without metal tools, pulleys… or any of the trapping of modern construction, Daniel still found it amazing that these things had been built at all.

He knew the Goa'uld had been active in this part of the world. Hathor's sarcophagus had been found in Mexico. The Orbanians had been transplanted from Teotihuacán … but there was no sign of a system lord in the here and now.

The pyramid stood in the centre of the city, close to structures Daniel identified as the ball court and the royal acropolis. Half built; he could see the outline of the original tomb within. The workers had left several hours ago, the failing light having signalled the end of work for the day. The city was as dark as it was quiet. The Mayan's didn't believe in disturbing the sun while he slept.

From what he could tell, the tomb would be easily accessible. They had brought enough tools with them to deal with the covering stones and Daniel was certain they would wish Teal'c was with them before they were finished. The past few months hadn't been kind to either himself or Sam. It was difficult to find the motivation to work out when the world was ending around you.

Daniel remembered the first time he had climbed a stepped pyramid. He had been six years old, holding his mother's hand as she'd guided him upwards. The memory made him smile. Despite his parents' offers to return to the ground Daniel had been so determined to get to the top. When he'd made it, he'd felt like he'd climbed to the roof of the world.

This time, he just felt old and tired. He and Sam paused at the summit, catching their breath before they began their assault on the tomb. They were exposed up here. If anyone happened to look up they couldn't fail to see himself and Sam… or realise exactly what they were doing. Tomb robbing was never a good look for an archaeologist.

"Here," was all Daniel said as he located the correct cover stone.

Sam handed him a crowbar and the two of them carefully inserted their tools in the crack between the cover stone and its surround.

"On three," he said. "One, two, three…"

The stone came free with a deafening crack. Daniel noticed Sam wince. She, like him, realised that their position had suddenly become much more precarious. There was no doubt in his mind that they had attracted attention.

"Quickly," she said.

Together, they managed to shift the stone to one side, opening the tomb. Two thousand years hence and the body inside would be nothing but a pile of bones. This one was in a less advanced state of decay. The position of the body was the same.

"The box? Where's the box?" Sam asked.

It wasn't there. The chest cavity of the body was intact.

"Could it have been a later addition?"

"No," Daniel shook his head. "This tomb is about to have another pyramid built on top of it. The next person to get in will be Nick."

They stood there for a moment, neither able to believe that their desperate journey through time had been in vain. It felt like defeat, the death of hope… of the human race.

"What now?" Daniel heard himself ask.

Even to himself, he sounded pathetic. He wanted Sam to come up with an idea, anything to get them out of the mess they were in and he found himself growing annoyed when she just stared at him blankly. It wasn't as if she could just magic the damn box out of thin air, he reasoned. But why wasn't it here?

"Did Nick's notes say anything about the box? Anything at all?" she queried.

"I don't remember," Daniel admitted.

That was the weird thing. His memory was nigh on eidetic and he couldn't recall anything in Nick's notes about a box. The stones, sure, he could picture the page in his mind. Why couldn't he recall any mention of the box? It had been a while since he'd even thought about Nick, Daniel realised and it wasn't as if he could nip back to the SGC and look it up. He needed time… time to think… time to try again if need be. He couldn't help feeling that he was missing something.

"Come on, let's get back to Jack," he said.

***

Sam was reluctant to leave, but she admitted that there was no point in standing there staring at a partially decomposed corpse. Like Daniel, she felt like she was missing something, some obvious reason why the box wasn't there, but she was dammed if she could think what that reason might be. Perhaps they had to look somewhere else… or should that be somewhen? With the timeship at their disposal, there was no reason why they couldn't keep skipping forwards in time. Simple logic dictated that, eventually, they would find the box in the tomb… except nothing about this seemed to be logical.

God, she was tired, Sam realised as she followed Daniel down. The adrenalin rush caused by their trip through time and the thrill of possible discovery was wearing off. Try as she might she couldn't shrug off the disappointment. She couldn't quite ignore the darkness of despair.

Their surroundings didn't help. The darkened city felt all wrong somehow. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. A feeling. Something familiar and yet... Despite the fact that it was now the middle of the night the air still held onto its humidity. The sweat on her skin wasn't cooling her body. It was no wonder that her brain refused to work properly. Sam hoped that she wasn't suffering from whatever had made General O'Neill sick.

Daniel paused when they reached the base of the pyramid and Sam could tell from the expression on his face that he was tempted to explore the rest of the city.

"Do you think it could be somewhere else?" she asked him.

Even though Sam had taken pains to keep her voice low, the noise seemed to echo around the plaza.

"I don't know," he admitted.

Sam was torn. Part of her wanted to dig this city up by the roots, but she understood the task could well prove futile… and they had a man down.

"If it's anywhere it will be in the palace," Daniel said.

"Could we get inside?"

"We could try."

Knowing that she would never forgive herself if they didn't make the attempt, Sam led the way across the plaza towards the ornate building Daniel had indicated. Her feeling of unease grew as the moved closer. The terror of a memory half forgotten. Then she felt it, a stirring in her gut, and the resonance of her tissues with the element that formed the Stargate.

"Daniel," she whispered, grabbing his arm.

"What?"

"We should go."

"What?"

"Now!"

They came from the shadows, their foreheads anointed with the symbol of the Menat. She didn't recognise it, but Daniel did.

"Hathor," he groaned.


	12. Chapter 12

She didn't recognise them… why should she? Hathor's first meeting with SG-1 lay many years in her future. Daniel found himself holding his breath as she moved closer to him, averting his head from her seductive gaze. His flesh burned as she trailed a finger down his cheek.

"This one I can use," she smiled.

Daniel wished he could have thrown up there and then. Anything to keep her from touching him, using him.

"But you have so many," one of her retinue dared to argue.

A sulky looking man heavily made up and clad in nothing more than what looked suspiciously like a thong, Daniel surmised that this was probably Hathor's current favourite. The man didn't seem to want his position usurped by a newcomer. Hathor turned to the young man,

"Jealous?" she questioned.

Her hand flexed around the device embellishing the palm and the man shrunk away. He would not make any other argument, Daniel realised, at least not today. But the protest had provided a welcome distraction. Hathor seemed far more interested in punishing her recalcitrant favourite than in Daniel. With a gesture, she dismissed them and Daniel found himself being dragged to what experience had forewarned him, would be a dungeon. The smell gave it away. The reek of suffering humanity was unmistakeable.

The prison was exactly the way he pictured, crowded, smelly and without an obvious way out. It was walled on three sides and although the bars making up the fourth wall were made of wood, Daniel knew that he would have no chance of breaking them. There were windows of sorts, high up in the walls, mere slits which let a little sunlight through.

"I guess it's up to Jack and Teal'c," he whispered to Sam, as they were unceremoniously shoved inside.

It was odd really, he mused. Ten years ago, being thrown into jail had been a terrifying experience, but all he felt right now was a mild annoyance. You really could get used to anything, he realised bitterly. Memories of Hadante returned with unasked for clarity, how scared he had been… and Jack… Jack who'd seemed to know exactly what to do. The reason's for that were still a mystery. It was common knowledge that Jack had been a POW in Iraq, but no one knew the details. Daniel suspected that no one ever would.

But this was not the time for memories. Instinctively, Daniel found himself moving closer to Sam. Even if she didn't need protecting, there was a strong chance that he might. It wasn't only women who were victims in places like this. They had to look after each other.

"Did you see it?" Sam hissed once the Jaffa guards had left.

"What?" Daniel asked. He had been too concerned with what Hathor might want to do with him to spend much time looking around.

"Above Hathor's throne? The ZPM?"

"ZP….."

When the attack came, it wasn't quite what Daniel had expected. He would have predicted that someone would have tried something while they slept… creeping up to them under the cover of darkness. He certainly didn't expect a body to collide with his, a pair of legs wrapped around his waist. The momentum of the attack sent Daniel stumbling backwards and, unable to keep his footing, he found himself sprawled on his back staring up into a very familiar face.

"Daniel," Vala Mal Doran smiled down at him. "We've been waiting for you."

With a shove, Daniel pushed her away. What the hell was this? Had Hathor fed him some drug that was affecting his mind?

"Sam!" he called out, hoping that could confirm or deny what his eyes were seeing.

She stepped out of the crowd, wide eyed and white faced.

"I don't understand," she whispered. "How are you here?"

"Same way you are," Vala replied.

"We left you back at Area 51 you…"

"I what?"

Vala looked from one to the other her face mirroring their confusion.

"You were sick," Daniel said.

Her eyes narrowed and he knew that she didn't believe his excuse. Luckily, he was saved from explaining any further as Sam broke in.

"You didn't answer Daniel's question. How did you get here?"

"Jack brought us," she answered.

XOXOXO

"They should be back by now."

Even in the midst of his delirium, Jack was painfully aware of that fact. If anything, he was feeling worse now than he had when they'd first arrived. Although that was possibly something to do with the fact that his stomach was empty and he couldn't even contemplate the thought of eating.

"Teal'c!" he called out. "Any news?"

"There has been no further communication from Daniel Jackson or Colonel Carter," the big man replied.

Jack swore to himself, cursing the infirmity that had stopped him from going with them. He didn't know exactly what he could have done, but at least Carter and Daniel would have had someone to watch their backs.

One thing Jack did know was that he couldn't just stay here. Waiting behind wasn't really his thing.

"Help me," he ordered.

Teal'c's eyebrow reached his hairline, but he did not argue. That was the great thing about T he always obeyed orders. Standing, however, was more difficult than Jack had anticipated and his legs slipped away from him like Bambi on ice. Without Teal'c's support he would have fallen. This was dumb. He could do this. He had to do this. He'd crawled his through the desert with a skull fracture, for crying out loud! Daniel and Sam were as important to him as Sara had ever been.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," he reassured his friend.

Jack pushed himself away from Teal'c and stood on his own. Although he swayed on his feet, he didn't fall over. It didn't matter that he felt like crap. All he had to do was put one foot in front of the other… and maybe shoot a few people. No problem. Yet his P90 felt strangely heavy in his hand. But he didn't know what else to do. He couldn't let Teal'c go off alone.

He barely had the energy to raise his head as they started their trek through the jungle and started to wish that he'd been able to land the ship closer to the city. The fact that he'd barely been able to bring her down in one piece escaped his mind for the moment. Sometimes, all Jack could see was his failures. This was one of those times. If Sam and Daniel had gotten hurt… or worse… Jack had never been big on forgiveness… himself least of all.

Somehow, he managed to follow Teal'c to the outskirts of the city. Crouched in the jungle they watched the inhabitants going about their daily business. To Jack's eyes everything appeared peaceful. There was no sign that any fight had taken place and he couldn't imagine that either of his colleagues had been taken without putting up some kind of resistance. But this was a big place, he reminded himself. They could search for a week and still not find anything.

Jack wished they had a more effective method of searching the city. Neither himself nor Teal'c could possibly blend in with these people. They would have to wait until dark.

"I'm going to sleep for a while," Jack told Teal'c. "Wake me up when the sun sets."

Sleep would be a blessed relief, but Jack's slumber was not restful. He seemed to have lost the ability to sleep anywhere, anytime… and he found himself wondering exactly when it had happened. During the year he spent behind a desk in Washington? Or whilst he'd been wandering through the remains of a devastated Earth?

"O'Neill!" Teal'c's whisper was almost a relief.

Giving up on his attempts to rest, Jack sat up, suddenly alert.

"What?" he hissed.

He was surprised to see that the sky had darkened. Perhaps he had slept after all. Teal'c raised his hand, bidding that Jack listen, but it was almost impossible to distinguish anything unusual. The jungle was just too damn loud, or maybe Jack was losing his touch.

But wait… something… The sound of a booted foot scraping against the trunk of a tree. Teal'c nodded, confirming Jack's suspicions. Knowing that he was not in a position to move very far or very fast, he bid Teal'c vanish into the undergrowth. Whoever was approaching wasn't making a very good job of hiding the fact. They were stumbling along as if they were having trouble standing upright.

Jack raised his P90, aiming at the spot where he expected the person to appear. Not that he had a chance of hitting them if they did turn out to be hostile. He had more chance of killing a nearby tree. When the figure finally staggered into the clearing, Jack didn't know whether to laugh or cry. In the end he settled for saying,

"For crying out loud…when did I get fat?"


	13. Chapter 13

**TIMELINE CHANGE**

Jack O'Neill couldn't remember the last time he had felt this exhausted. He'd worked hard for three days straight, rising at 0500, getting to bed sometime around midnight … and all in the name of national security. Hell, the desk job was supposed to be easier on him. That was one of the reasons he had taken the promotion and removed himself from the SGC.

When George Hammond had retired, Jack had seen it as the ideal opportunity to rest his battle weary body. He wasn't supposed to be on his feet eighteen hours a day, without food or… in some cases … a pee break. His knees were in worse shape now than they'd ever been. They were protesting as he walked up the stairs towards his apartment.

As for his back…

Damn it, he could really use a massage, he realised as he let himself into his apartment. There were places he could have gone. Even at 0200, he could have found a place to drink and a warm bed. If he hadn't been so god damn tired, he might have been tempted.

There had been times over the past year that he'd seriously thought about taking solace in a one night stand. Times when he wished that he hadn't screwed things up so badly with Kerry Johnson. If he'd just been able to lie to her Jack doubted he be coming home to an empty apartment and a cold bed. As to the reason behind it all... well he hadn't seen her since he'd foolishly had her reassigned to the SGC. Not that they'd seen much of each other when she'd been at Area 51, but she'd definitely been less preoccupied. Sure, they spoke on the phone, but it wasn't the same as seeing her every day.

After the trip to the cabin, Jack had finally thought that he and Carter had made a connection. But, wary that she was recovering from the loss of her father, he hadn't pushed her. She'd broken up with Pete, something he was truly grateful for, but she hadn't shown any interest in starting a new relationship… at least not with him. Perhaps he'd been fooling himself and all she felt for him was friendship. He couldn't exactly blame her.

Letting himself into his apartment, Jack dumped his jacket on the couch and walked through to the kitchen to grab himself a beer. Thinking about Carter wasn't helping his state of mind. When he thought about her, he wanted to talk to her. Then, before he really knew what he was doing, his cell phone was in his hand and he'd hit the speed dial.

At first, he thought she wasn't at home. The phone certainly rang for longer than he would have expected.

"Carter."

The voice that finally answered was heavy with sleep and Jack immediately felt guilty for disturbing her.

"It's me," he replied, hoping she'd forgive him.

"Sir? Is there something wrong?"

That was Carter. All business. She probably couldn't even imagine calling someone at 2AM just because you were lonely and you wanted to hear their voice.

"No there's nothing wrong, Carter," he snapped back, embarrassment making him irritable.

Silence. He could almost hear her mind working. If the world wasn't in immediate danger then why was he calling her? This had been a dumb idea. He was just a pathetic old man.

"It's nothing," he repeated. "I just read a report and I… wondered how you were doing?"

"You read a report, sir?"

There was a chuckle in her voice and Jack found himself smiling back.

"Not much else to do now I'm tied to a desk," he lied.

"You just got home, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

There didn't seem to be any point in denying it.

"You work too hard," her voice teased.

But the sad thing was… she was right. Since he'd moved to Washington, Jack was working longer hours than he ever had at the SGC. Which was saying something when, unbeknownst to anyone, his timesheet had rivalled Carter's when you added up the number of hours.

"Well, you know the President," he replied, lightly. "Once he gets talking…"

She laughed. He'd missed that…

"So… got anything exciting planned?" he continued, trying to prolong the conversation.

"Well, Daniel's dragged us all off to Guatemala to look for some rocks."

"Is that all?"

"He thinks it might be the key to creating our own Sangraal."

"Cool."

"I hope so, sir."

For a crazy moment, Jack wished he were out there with them. Any country other than the US would constitute a major adventure for him these days. He'd even tried to pull some strings to get himself on a flight to England to visit Glastonbury and see how the investigations were proceeding. For the moment, he couldn't recall why it had all fallen through.

"Sir… one more thing."

"What?"

"Thank you."

"What for?"

"Showing me the stars."

"Any time."

As he'd done so many times, Jack pretended he understood her words. Carter knew far more about the stars than he ever would. He recalled the last night they'd spent at his cabin when he'd forced them all to go stargazing. At least Carter'd had the decency to pretend to be interested in what Jack had to say. Daniel and Teal'c had made their excuses and left.

"I'd better go," she said, "my battery is nearly dead and I forgot to pack the charger."

"'night Carter," Jack smiled.

"Sleep well."

Talking to Carter had made him feel better, he realised. Even if she hadn't said much, the sound of her voice had worked wonders on his psyche. Jack promised himself that he was going to make time to get back to Colorado Springs and visit his friends. He hadn't had a vacation in over a year and he deserved a little time off. Jack was sure that the President could do without him for a week or two. Of course, that was the Ori situation didn't go to hell in a hand basket…

Sighing to himself, Jack stripped off the rest of his clothes and buried himself beneath his quilt. He was just dropping off to sleep when he distinctly heard a voice say,

"Hello, Sir."

Without thinking about it, Jack reached for his personal gun… only to find that it wasn't where it was supposed to be. Jack found himself blinking as the room was suddenly illuminated.

"Looking for this," the voice said.

The gun was tossed onto the bed. Jack stared at it and then at the person who had spoken.

"Sorry, I didn't want you to shoot me."

"You're not supposed to be here," was all he managed to say.

The woman that limped towards him looked like crap. If he hadn't already known, Jack would never have guessed that her hair was blonde. Matted with dirt and blood, it was longer than he remembered. One of arm hung limply at her side and her eyes were almost swollen shut. She'd been in a fight… and recently.

"I just spoke to you," he stated, refusing to believe the evidence standing in front of him.

He reached for his phone but her next words stopped him.

"My battery's dead… remember?"

How could she know that? How? Jack had seen a whole lot of weird stuff fin his time at the SGC, but this was the first time any of it had followed him to Washington. The problem was, she was very likely to be who she appeared to be… but whether she was from this or another reality Jack wouldn't like to make a guess. As she hobbled closer, he had to fight the urge to reach out to her. He wasn't that certain… not yet.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"There's a disc. It has everything we know."

Her hands were shaking as she handed him the CD.

"You have to stop them, Jack."

"Who."

"SG-1."

"For crying out… Carter."

With a sigh, she crumpled forward and it was all Jack could do to catch her before she hit the floor.

XOXOXO

He did his best to clean her up and make her comfortable, but Jack realised he was in for a long wait. Until she woke up there was no way he was ever going to find out what the hell she had been trying to tell him. Wary of the warning, Jack had attempted to call Carter again, but she hadn't answered. He'd then tried Teal'c, Daniel, and… as a last resort, Mitchell but no one seemed to be at home… metaphorically speaking. He had trouble believing that everyone's cell phones had simultaneously lost charge. Of course, they could be out of range. Jack was so far outside of the loop and he had no idea what their plans might have been. He didn't even know exactly where they were. How the hell was he supposed to pass on the warning?

Looking over at the other Carter… Sam… Jack wondered if he shouldn't try to wake her. He needed some kind of explanation if he were to give the order to recall SG-1. Assuming that was even possible… That was the problem. Jack didn't know for sure. Carter, the other one, had said they were in Guatemala but she hadn't given him any more details, and he hadn't thought to ask. Of course, he could give Hank a call, but then he'd have to explain why he wanted to know and… well it was kind of a vicious circle. At the very least, he'd have a bunch of people here wanting to question this Carter. Something that he wasn't sure was in her best interests. Given her medical condition, he was also certain that she didn't constitute much of a threat. If she did turn out to be Evil Sam, he was fairly confident that he could shoot her if it became necessary. He'd done it before.

The problem was waiting for her to wake up. If this was as urgent as she seemed to indicate then it had to be sooner rather than later. Consequently, Jack spent the next few hours perched on a chair that had been designed more as an artistic statement than as a place to sit. But he didn't want to leave the bedroom, just in case she needed something.

He was just contemplating calling the office to let them know that he'd be working from home when she suddenly sat up. Jack had closed the drapes to shut out the glare of the morning sun and the darkness completely disoriented her.

"Where am I?" she asked, a touch of panic evident in her voice. Jack made haste to open the curtains.

"It's okay," Jack said, kneeling by the bed, "I'm here."

"Jack?"

There it was again. His name. Sam never used his name unless he was dying … or she was.

"Jack?" he returned the question.

"Sir?"

"Better."

"I forgot I used to call you that."

Now he was really confused. Used to? Unless she was some kind of future Carter?

"Time travel?" he questioned.

"In a manner of speaking."

At least she sounded a little more coherent.

"Could you get me some pain killers?" she asked.

"Right, sure," Jack replied. He could actually do with some himself, he realised. His head was starting to hurt.

Jack took the gun with him as he went into the kitchen to get the drugs and some water. Sam took both gratefully.

"I should get you to hospital," he told her.

"No… there's no time."

Jack didn't like it, but he was willing to go along with her… for now.

"You going to have to give me an explanation," he said.

Sam sank back against the pillows, closing her eyes. For a second Jack thought she had lost consciousness again, but she started to speak.

"All out fault," she whispered.

"What was?"

"We brought it back you see. We opened it."

"What?"

"You have to stop them Jack!"

She was getting hysterical again. Jack reached his hand out, brushing his fingers against her forehead. Sam was burning up, it was no wonder she wasn't making much sense.

"Brought it back from where? Guatemala?" he asked.

Sam nodded.

"What was inside?"

"Vicious, evil… they kill… and they're everywhere. There's nothing left. No SGC, no Stargate. I had to come back to try and stop it."

Changing the timeline? Things must be pretty bad for Carter to even consider futzing with history.

"Why didn't you go back to the SGC?" he asked.

"Not that accurate. I couldn't risk running into myself… it screws you up… even now… I'm too close."

A cough racked her body. Even shrouded by the comforter, Jack could see she was thin… far too thin. And her condition seemed to be deteriorating. He had the feeling that they didn't have much time.

"Daniel thought it might be a weapon. We brought… we will bring it back to the SGC. You have to get rid of it. If you can't get in touch with them, you have to make sure they don't open it. Send it into a black hole if you have to… just don't…"

"Okay I get the message."

He wanted her to save her strength.

"It's the 23rd today… just tell me when they're due back?"

"In two days."

"I'll be there, and I'll stop them… I promise."

She lay back on the pillows, seemingly satisfied with his reply. He quickly realised that he couldn't leave her, not like this. There seemed little he could do apart from watch her grow weaker. Every time he suggested going for the doctor, Sam just shook her head. She seemed resigned to her fate … whatever that might be. Every so often, she would repeat her plea for help and Jack would reassure her again. He piled blankets on the bed but he couldn't seem to stop her shivering.

There were times when she grew a little more coherent.

"It had to be me," she replied to his query as to why she had been the one to bring the warning. "You flew the time ship back then I used an Asgard time compression device to come forward again. We had to do it that way because ..,"

"The timeship isn't good for short jumps… I remember."

"Didn't know that one of them had hitched a lift. It killed you… attacked me. I got bitten… there's no known cure. By the time we realised we had no labs left to analyse the venom. "

Sam started coughing again, drops of her blood staining the white sheets. It was like a punch to the gut to see her this way.

"Colonel I need to know everything about these creatures, just in case… just in case I don't get there in time," he said.

He felt like crap for asking, but Jack knew it could be the difference between life and death. Dragging together the last remnants of her military training, Sam told him. Jack had no choice but to keep pushing and pushing. He had to remember that Carter, the other one was alive and well. With luck, he could stop this ever happening to her.

Towards the end, he let her grow quiet. She deserved to die with some dignity.

"Jack," she whispered.

"I'm here."

"When you go back make sure you take Cam and Vala."

"Mitchell?"

She nodded, her energy spent. He moved to her. Taking her hand and holding it until the flesh grew cold.

XOXOXO

Sometimes he felt he could have woken her with a kiss. Even though he knew time was of the essence he sat with her body far longer than he should have. Until he reminded himself that, he'd already wasted a day and the others would be back on the morrow.

And he would see Carter again.

Feeling almost as if he were betraying her in some way Jack made some calls and arranged to have the body taken back to the SGC. He knew Sam would have wanted it that way. A post mortem would tell them exactly why she had died… and might give them important information regarding the enemy of which she spoke.

Jack travelled with her body.

He hadn't stepped foot in the SGC for over a year… and as the elevator started downwards, Jack wasn't so sure he wanted to see how everything had changed. The truth was that Landry was probably better at this than Jack would ever be. His replacement was a proper kind of general… wore his dress blues and everything. Hank's psyche was far better suited to watching his men go into battle. Even now, Jack worried about the fact that SG-1 had gone somewhere without him.

Dr Lam took Carter's body away. She reassured him that she'd assign the autopsy top priority and even offered him the chance to watch. Jack declined… albeit politely. Even if the corpse turned out to be some clone, or artificial lifeform, to Jack she had been Carter. He wasn't about to watch one of his friends get sliced and diced.

Jack was left, once more, to play a waiting game. While he'd been away, he'd deliberately never asked about SG-1's missions. Not that he hadn't wanted to know, but he preferred to find out after the fact… when they were safely home and he didn't have to worry about them. As he wandered through the base, he was amazed by the number of new faces… and concerned about the old friends he couldn't seem to find. He ended up in the commissary, wishing Daniel was there to ask him questions he wouldn't listen to… Carter to share the blue Jell-o… Teal'c to eat everything in sight.

Hank had assigned him quarters, but Jack put off using them for as long as he could. He wanted to be on hand if Lam discovered anything of importance. Deep down Jack wondered if they might forget he was there and just carry on without him. However, the fact that he'd been awake for a very long time was definitely working against him. Eventually, he decided it would be unseemly for a Major General to fall asleep in the commissary and sought his bed.


	14. Chapter 14

One look at General O'Neill's distraught features had been enough to persuade Carolyn Lam to work through the night. Before she'd seen him, her first instinct had been to refuse his request. Even though Carolyn and her father had reconciled some of their differences, she still harboured a certain amount of resentment towards Jack O'Neill. He should have told her that General Landry had taken over as CO of the SGC. She would never have taken the job if she'd known.

Before she'd joined the SGC Carolyn hadn't worked all-nighters since she'd completed her residency but, over the past year, she had started to get used to it again. However, she hadn't quite been prepared for the profoundly disturbing nature of this task. Seeing the corpses of friends and colleagues was nothing new. The SGC was a tight knit community and every time one of them died Carolyn struggled not to take the death personally. Sometimes she wondered how her predecessor had coped. Janet Fraiser had died in the line of duty. Carolyn sometimes wondered if a similar fate didn't await anyone who stepped through the Stargate. Somehow, staring at Samantha Carter's body had brought it all home.

The two General's were sat before her, waiting for her report. O'Neill seemed unable to sit still whilst her father appeared to be an oasis of calm; two different men, two different leadership styles. Carolyn sometimes wondered what it would have been like to work for O'Neill.

"Well?" he asked, seemingly not able to wait for her to start.

Clearing her throat, Carolyn shuffled the papers in front of her.

"DNA tests confirm that the body is Samantha Carter," she began.

O'Neill closed his eyes for a brief second before asking, "And we're sure she's still alive and well in Guatemala?"

"I had a communication from SG-1 first thing this morning," her father confirmed, "They're on their way back."

"So what killed her?" O'Neill said.

The passion was evident in his voice, even though he was trying to maintain a calm façade.

"Her injuries, although painful, were superficial. Her, blood work however showed the presence of a venom that was ultimately responsible for her death."

"Venom? What from?"

"I don't know, sir. Its molecular structure doesn't seem to match anything in our database. I'm getting some more tests done."

"And an anti-venom?"

"When we find out what it is we'll start working on a cure."

Carolyn could tell he was frustrated with her reply, but he had to realise that these things took time.

"And this is something that SG-1 are bringing back with them?" Landry asked.

"Yeah. Carter wasn't very specific she gave me a CD but I haven't looked at it. We… we didn't get the chance to talk for long."

O'Neill paused for a second, seemingly trying to get his emotions under control.

"Did they mention any artefacts?" he went on.

"I spoke to Mitchell. He said they found a box. He also said something about Teal'c," Landry replied.

"What?"

"Apparently he's sick."

"Did Colonel Mitchell mention any symptoms?" Carolyn asked.

Since the Ori plague, she had learned never to take these things lightly. Even without his symbiote, Teal'c was very rarely ill. Injured, yes, but actually sick? Carolyn feared the worst. But this couldn't be some kind of alien virus. They were still on Earth, it had to be a tropical disease… something she could treat… or she hoped she could.

"If you'll excuse me gentlemen," she said, pushing back her chair, "I think I'd better get back to the infirmary."

If Teal'c was infected then it was a fair guess that all of SG-1 had been exposed. And Carolyn would have her work cut out for her.

XOXOXO

Jack decided to go to Peterson rather than wait at the SGC… and if anyone dared ask, he would strongly deny he wanted to take the earliest opportunity to reassure himself that Carter was still alive and Teal'c wasn't sick… and to make certain that Daniel's enthusiasm hadn't gotten the better of him. He was starting to appreciate that Sam… the other one had given him the barest details of the threat that faced them. Jack wondered if she was concerned about altering the timeline. However, if she was worried about that then why did she go to so much effort to deliver a warning? He didn't know and if he were honest with himself he didn't care. Here and now was all that mattered.

He watched the plane land with a mixture of relief and trepidation. Not that he wanted any of his friends hurt, but he couldn't help feeling that a whole bunch of problems would be solved if the plane crashed. But it landed safely and, with a certain amount of trepidation, Jack walked out onto the tarmac to meet his team.

Daniel was the first one off the plane, clearly eager to start playing with his new toy. The box was clutched protectively to his chest and Jack realised he was probably going to have a hard time wrestling it away. They needed to get that thing into quarantine and fast. Then maybe he'd have Carter start looking into ways to destroy it. Failing that, they could always send the box into the sun… or a handy black hole. There would be arguments, and maybe a few tantrums, but Jack would get his way in the end.

Moving forward to greet his friends, Jack could see the confusion on their faces.

"Jack?" Daniel questioned, "What are you doing here?"

"We need to talk," Jack replied.

At his signal, several men moved forward and took the box from Daniel.

"Treat it gently, guys," Jack ordered.

"What are you doing?" Daniel protested.

"Taking a few precautions."

He refused to explain until they got back to the SGC, partially because he didn't want to discuss it in front of the driver but mostly because it annoyed both Daniel and Carter. Neither of them liked the fact that he knew something they didn't.

"Where are we going, sir?" Carter asked as he led them through the grey corridors.

They'd expected to go straight to the briefing room, but Jack had something else in mind. He wasn't usually one for melodrama, but he figured that shock tactics were probably the only way he was going to get his message across. Either that or they'd have him consigned to a rubber room with all the mashed banana he could eat.

He took them down to the morgue.

"I had a visitor while you were gone," he began.

Her body was there, and as much as Jack really didn't want to look at it again he knew it would prove his point.

Jack was pleased to see that Lam had followed his orders and the slab in the centre of the room was occupied. A sheet covered the corpse. Once this was over, Jack swore that he'd give her a decent burial. She may not have been the living breathing woman who was currently standing behind him, but this version of Carter had still made the ultimate sacrifice.

"What has this to do with…" Daniel began.

But his words cut off abruptly as Jack twitched the sheet away from the corpse's face.

"Oh my God!" Carter sounded like she was about to be sick.

Realising that he'd gotten their full attention, Jack pulled the cover back into place.

"Alternate universe?" Mitchell questioned.

He actually sounded excited about this.

"No," Jack said, "I think she came from the future. Our future and she was very clear about one thing… under no circumstances should you open that box."

"I wasn't going to… at least not right away," Daniel protested.

"Excuse me, sir, could we please get out of here," Carter said.

She looked vaguely green and Jack realised that this wasn't the best place to be having this conversation. Taking her elbow, he guided her out of the morgue, knowing that everyone else would follow his lead.

XOXOXO

"At least let us find out where it came from," Daniel argued.

Sam was barely listening. Her mind was occupied with the image of her own body… lying in the morgue… cold… dead.

"Guatemala… I thought that much was obvious," General O'Neill replied.

"We found it in Guatemala, but it's like nothing I've ever seen. I need to analyse this Jack."

"Fine… just don't do it here."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm having it sent to Area 51."

"Jack!"

"That's enough Daniel. Another word and I'm having the whole thing sent into a black hole."

The General's words sounded harsh… even for him. Sam could tell that Daniel wasn't about to change the man's mind. If something did go wrong, it was probably better to have the box as far from civilization as possible and the middle of Nevada was as good a place as any.

Daniel, she noticed glanced at Landry, clearly hoping that he would countermand General O'Neill's order. There was little chance of that. Although the two men were ostensibly of the same rank, O'Neill was technically Landry's boss… and it looked as if they were presenting an united front on this one.

As soon as the briefing broke up Sam found herself heading back down to the morgue. The morbid fascination probably wasn't healthy but she had to take another look. From what General O'Neill had said, this woman had died bringing them a warning that they were dangerously close to ignoring. She couldn't help feeling that any kind of investigation was dangerous. Staring down at the corpse only reinforced her conviction.

She studied the woman's form almost dispassionately, taking note of the differences.

"Most of what she said didn't make a whole lot of sense," Jack O'Neill's voice said.

Sam hadn't heard him walk up behind her but she was almost reassured by his presence.

"Does it ever?" she replied.

"I wasn't going to say that …"

Sam managed to force a smile. This wasn't really the time or the place for jokes.

"Were you there when she died?" she pushed.

"Yeah… yeah I was."

"Tell me how it happened."

"Carter… you really don't want me to."

He was right, she didn't. Sam knew that if she pushed him further she might hear things she didn't want to. She had the feeling that General O'Neill had experienced something profound. Something that Sam wasn't a part of… at least not yet. She could only hope that she'd somehow managed to avoid this. But the analytical part of her brain couldn't help asking… If they had managed to make a change, shouldn't the body have faded away? Were they caught in some kind of paradox? Or was she actually from some parallel universe and had somehow managed to influence their timeline?

The complexities of time travel were not something she really wanted to contemplate right now. With effort, Sam covered the corpse.

"You were with her, that's all that matters," Sam went on. "I'm glad she didn't have to die alone."

"Always, Carter… remember that."

"I'm trying, sir."

It seemed like a lifetime had passed since he'd last said those words. They had a new enemy in the Ori, new battles to fight. More reasons that they couldn't share a future.

"Cake?" he offered.

"Yes, sir."

Cake she could handle. Once they were sat in the commissary the combination of chocolate and sugar did its work and Sam found herself in a slightly happier frame of mind. With Daniel off to Area 51, perhaps the rest of SG-1 would get some downtime. Sam was sorely in need of a little R+R. The trip had been more arduous than she'd anticipated and it had been almost a week since she'd gotten a full night's sleep.


	15. Chapter 15

Daniel found the writing almost by accident. Being at Area 51 was one thing; booking time on the various instruments was something else. He'd found himself in the unfamiliar position of having to wait in line. It was almost like being back at university again. However much he pleaded and, in some cases, begged, no one was going to let him jump the queue. He almost suspected Jack of being involved somewhere along the line. And, as much as he might have been tempted, Daniel had made no attempt to open the box.

He'd been there a week before he finally managed to look at the surface under the electron microscope. As soon as he did he realised that the person who had been examining hollow polymer particles did, in fact, have the better claim. Although the sample preparation techniques could have resulted in some damage, there was no mistaking the results. The surface was as featureless as it was to the naked eye. How anyone had managed to machine something that smooth defied imagination. Especially when considered that the box had lain in a Mayan tomb for centuries.

Since the X-ray had proved uninformative, Daniel was hoping to stick the box in for an MRI, but he was going to have to wait. It had been frustration that had prompted him to start trying a few more unusual techniques, but looking at it under UV light had been an act of pure childishness… or so he'd thought at the time. His opinion changed when he saw the writing on the surface of the box. He traced the outlines of the glowing blue script wondering how on Earth it had gotten there. Or perhaps Earth wasn't where it had originated? Daniel knew that there were several legends linking the Goa'uld with the Mayans. Perhaps this was something one of them had left behind? But the script wasn't any form of Goa'uld that Daniel had encountered. He found himself cursing that he wasn't at the SGC with ready access to his library … and Teal'c. There was something almost familiar about it, but all he could do was take pictures and hope that he could work it out later. He had the images e-mailed back to the SGC, for him to peruse during his leisure time.

The MRI was the last test scheduled. Daniel didn't honestly think it would reveal anything, but he wouldn't be able to sleep at nights if he didn't at least try every avenue of investigation. After that… well… Jack could throw the box into a black hole, should he so wish and Daniel would probably hold his coat. Thoroughly disgruntled, Daniel left the box with the technicians and told them to send the results to the SGC. He left Area 51, intending to catch the next flight back to Peterson.

XOXOXO

Mary Franks really didn't want to be doing this. She hated staying late but she also had the biggest crush on Dr. Jackson. When he'd asked something inside had turned to mush and she'd found herself agreeing to run an MRI on his damn box.

It certainly wasn't much to look at. About a foot square and made of some material with which she wasn't familiar. It wasn't metal. It wasn't stone. Some kind of polymer, she wondered. It wasn't just a box of that much Mary was certain. For a start, she would swear that the surface was warmer than its surroundings. Under infrared, she imagined she'd see a definite flare of light. But this wasn't her project. All she was assigned to do was run the MRI. That was it. Nothing else. Afterwards she'd been ordered to take the box to secure storage and leave it there. No one even seemed to be interested in what was inside. If Mary could have opened the box, she would have. However, there didn't seem to be any obvious way to do it.

Placing the box in the machine, she sat back to let the scan progress. Knowing it would take up to an hour, she left the scanner to scan whist she went to get something to eat… and see if Daniel Jackson had left yet. She was out of the room when the scanner started shaking... when someone or something was attempting to get out.

XOXOXO

Hank Landry sometimes had difficulty remembering what his house looked like in daylight. He'd been in command of the SGC for over a year and most of his belongings were still packed in boxes. He had chosen this life, so Hank kept his gripes to himself but he couldn't help wondering what an uninterrupted weekend would feel like. His life had never been what one could describe as normal, but the posting at the SGC was proving far more disruptive than any other of his military career. He could well understand why Jack O'Neill had only lasted a year in the job. If you had any hope of a life outside of the SGC then being in charge of the facility wasn't the way to achieve that. Ostensibly Jack had left because George Hammond had retired, however Hank often wondered if there hadn't been another reason for his decision. Health reasons were a possibility. Sooner or later you had to admit that you were too old to go out in the field. Jack had hung on a hell of a lot longer than most people Hank knew.

Landry had been in bed for precisely twenty minutes, when the phone started ringing. His hand shot out immediately and he grabbed it from the nightstand,

"Landry," he said, trying not to sound cranky. He'd learnt over the years that it was bad practice to shoot the messenger.

"Sir, we have a situation," the voice replied.

Didn't they always, Hank thought, but only to himself.

"I'll be there in thirty minutes," he said.

His uniform pants were hanging over the end of the bed and Hank pulled them on along with a civilian shirt. Sometimes he wondered why he bothered getting undressed.

He was lucky, in a way, that he'd managed to rent a place close to the mountain. Otherwise, gas prices alone would have driven him to bankruptcy. Hank didn't hurry. Firstly, it would have been dangerous and secondly he didn't know the exact nature of the emergency. It was best not to ask over the phone. Although he was supposed to have a secure line, one could never be too certain. The only way to find out was to go back to work.

Jack O'Neill met him at the first check point, it could have been a coincidence but the fact Jack was wearing a casual shirt and dress pants seemed to suggest that he too had been dragged away from something. Two minutes later Colonel Carter dashed up, appearing slightly out of breath. Hank looked at her, then at Jack, trying to keep the smile from his face.

"Any idea what this is about?" Jack asked, sounding decidedly out of sorts.

"Not yet," Hank replied.

He wasn't about to speculate. The fact that Carter had also been called in was worrying him, but Hank was damned if he were about to show it… especially not in front of his predecessor.

Jack deliberately held back, he noticed, as they reached Level 28. Although he wasn't in any way intruding, he was clearly uncomfortable with being there. Or was he just itching to take charge? Sometimes with Jack, it was hard to tell.

"Talk to me," Hank ordered as he strode into the control room.

"We received a distress signal from Area 51," the technician replied, promptly. "They say they have a foothold situation. They have it contained for now but…"

A dozen scenarios flashed through his mind, each of then discarded as Landry accepted the terrible truth.

"They opened the box," Colonel Carter breathed, voicing Hank's fears.

"Damn it," Jack snapped, "I told Daniel not to do that. You heard me, didn't you Carter? I expressly forbade him to…"

"To what?"

The voice belonged to Dr. Jackson and Landry couldn't help feeling relieved that the younger man was here and not still at Area 51. He had the feeling he was going to need his best team on this one.

"If you're here then why...?" Jack began.

"Why what?"

"Did you open the box?"

"No."

"You sure."

"You told me not to."

"When has that ever stopped you?"

"What happened to it?" Hank asked, stepping in to stop the argument.

"I'd finished everything and I left them to run an MRI," Jackson replied.

"Carter?" Jack asked.

"A magnetic resonance…" she began.

"I know what MRI means. I've had enough of them for crying out loud! What does it do?"

Hank didn't miss the flash of annoyance that crossed Carter's features.

"They put you inside a magnet and flip your protons…" she began, before stopping abruptly, her brow furrowed in thought.

"Magnets," Jack said with a certain amount of relish.

"There was something in the information the other Carter left. I'll be right back."

Hank stepped out of the way as Colonel Carter charged past him with the single-minded intent of getting to her computer.

"Colonel Carter, you have an hour… Then I suggest we continue this in the briefing room," he said. "Jack, we need enough troops in the area to make sure nothing gets in or out."

"On it," Jack said, disappearing in the general direction of the red phone.

Technically, Jack was Landry's boss, but they shared the same rank and that was reason enough for Hank to start making suggestions. And both men knew that this wasn't the time for arguments.

Even after everything the other Colonel Carter had been through, they'd still managed to screw up. That, if nothing else, made Landry more determined to beat this thing. He'd make sure she hadn't sacrificed her life in vain.

XOXOXO

It was weird, Sam realised as she loaded the CD onto her laptop, and opened the files. This was all her work and yet… it wasn't. There were subtle differences in the wording and the sentence structure that were indicative of her other self's state of mind. No one else would have noticed, but Sam did. The flow of thought lacked a certain clarity. She had been tired, Sam realised, tired of fighting a war that she could not hope to win.

And there were omissions, lots of omissions. Subject areas where the other Carter hadn't felt qualified to comment… and she hadn't been able to find anyone who could.

Sam had no illusions regarding the threat they faced. The fact it had happened at Area 51 and not at the SGC, had brought them time, but she was well aware that it might not be enough. No one gets in, no one gets out. It sounded like a great idea, but the records from the other reality only served to show how easily that restriction could be broken. It would only take one…

She glanced at her watch. Landry had given her an hour and then he'd expect a solution. She had no idea where to start. Should she come up with a way to kill these things or was there another answer? Their counterparts had tried all conventional forms of defence, including dropping a bomb on Colorado Springs. It hadn't worked then, and Sam doubted it would work now. There were too many variables. Despite everything, they knew too little about these creatures to formulate a viable defence. The only guaranteed way to kill them was with a knife.

They had to know more. They had to…

Crap. She'd had her hour and it was time get herself to the briefing room.

As much as she hated to admit it, the other Carter had been right about one thing, they had to go back… meet their other selves. Maybe they could find out something, anything that would help them. There was just one problem…

"The timeship is at Area 51," Sam announced to those assembled around the table.

Those sitting at the table shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

"It was moved there after we found it… I don't even know if it still works. I tried to stop them ripping it apart while I was stationed there but…"

"You can put it back together again?" General O'Neill asked.

This time, she was forced to say,

"I don't know, sir."

Sam shrugged. Sometimes the scientist's were a little overenthusiastic. Reverse engineering was all very well, but they usually didn't remember that the stuff they took apart needed to be put back together. Sam had studied the mechanism for almost a month and she had barely figure out how to turn the lights on so O'Neill's confidence was flattering, if a little misguided. She had missed this, Sam realised, his unshakable confidence that she could solve any problem. It gave her the overwhelming urge to prove him right, which she supposed was the whole point. Sometimes Jack O'Neill's leadership technique was far more subtle than anyone suspected. He had the uncanny knack of making people like and want to please him… The Irish charm, something Sam found lacking in General Landry.

"We have one advantage over the other us," Daniel interrupted.

"Explain, Dr. Jackson," Landry said.

"There's writing… on the box. They never found it."

"What does it say?" General O'Neill demanded.

"I don't know… yet."

"So It might just say, 'this way up'?"

Sam tried and failed to keep the smile off her face. General Landry, however, didn't seem quite so amused.

"You really believe that time travel is necessary?" he asked, bringing the discussion back under his control

"Yes, sir I do," Sam replied. "With all due respect, my counterpart's presence here confirms that we make the attempt. If we start second guessing ourselves … setting up multiple timelines…"

There was no point in letting the meeting descend into the realms of speculative mathematics. General O'Neill's head would probably explode. Sam had a healthy respect for the man's intelligence, but not in a subject area she barely understood herself. But there was a more important reason for someone to take a trip back.

"There's something else, sirs," Sam went on. "According to the data the other... the other Carter sent they're going to need a ZPM."

"And? So? Therefore?" O'Neill questioned.

"Go on Colonel," Landry said.

"The other Carter left some detailed specifications. In order for her to come forward in time, they need to be able to contact the Asgard. To do that, they need a Stargate and a power source."

"I thought a Naqudah reactor could power a gate?" Daniel said.

"It can, but they're using theirs to power a force field around Area 51."

"You say they need a Stargate too…" General O'Neill began.

"I could build one… given time," Sam interrupted with a quirk of her lips.

She'd watched Orlin make a Gate out of ordinary objects… an alien MacGyver... but without the duct tape.

"Which just leaves the ZPM," she finished.

"Assuming we can find one," Daniel said.

"We don't have to. I know exactly where we can get one."

Daniel grinned at her. He got it.

"Antarctica… two thousand years ago."

"Exactly. It should still have some power back then."

"Wait a second," O'Neill interrupted, "If we take it then… we won't find it… later."

"Assuming we're successful with regards to changing the past then we won't have to take the ZPM and…"

General O'Neill's head hit the table with a thunk. Reaching out a hand, Daniel patted him comfortingly on the shoulder. Sam felt herself smirk, just a little. Recovering himself, the General raised his head.

"We'd better get started, then," he decided and pushed himself to his feet.

Sam started to gather up her belongings and, as such, nearly missed his next words.

"If it's okay with you, Hank, I'll take Vala and Mitchell along for the ride. Samantha mentioned the two of them specifically. There's no point in risking anyone else."

"Pick your own team, for this one Jack."

Sam found herself staring at Daniel, not quite wanting to believe what she'd just heard. She was relieved to see he looked similarly dismayed. Under any other circumstances, Sam would have raised an objection, but she was a hesitant to do so in front of Landry. By agreeing to O'Neill's suggestion, he might as well have given her an order to sit on her ass.

"Dr. Jackson, get to work on translating the writing… everyone else you're dismissed," Landry ordered.

Despite having bad knees General O'Neill could move incredibly quickly when he wanted to and Sam was hard pushed to catch up with him.

"Sir!" she called out, but he didn't pause.

The man had turned avoiding a conversation into an art form. On this particular occasion, feigning sudden deafness wasn't going to work. Sam broke into a run,

"Sir!" she repeated as she managed to catch hold of his shirtsleeve before he disappeared into the bathroom.

Sam wouldn't have been surprised if he'd shrugged out of his shirt, but her touch seemed to have the desired effect, and he stopped.

"Carter… just don't," was all he said.

"Why?" she asked.

"Why them? Or why not you?"

"Both."

"I'm following instructions, Carter… your instructions. She told me to take Vala and Mitchell."

"Did she specifically tell you to leave Daniel, Teal'c and I behind?"

"No."

"Well then…"

"No."

He leaned against the wall, drawing his hands through his untidy hair. And… for a moment, his face lost its childish cast. And… for a moment, Jack O'Neill looked like an old man.

"Get the old team back together?" he asked, "Is that what you want?"

Sam nodded dumbly.

"I wish it were that simple. Daniel has to finish that translation and you… you have to stay here just in case we don't make it."

"Sir?"

O'Neill pushed himself away from the wall, placing his hand on her shoulder.

He smiled as he said,

"Someone has to stay behind to save the world."

Put like that there was only one answer she could give him,

"Yes sir," Sam whispered.


	16. Chapter 16

Jack tried not to second-guess himself as he walked away from Carter. Leaving his teammates behind was a calculated risk. If this all went to hell, and he kind of suspected that it would, then maybe Daniel, Carter and Teal'c could come up with another way.

He paused outside the door to Vala's quarters. Jack didn't really know the woman but from all accounts she was… interesting, although perhaps Daniel wasn't the most reliable of sources. Reading the reports was enough for Jack to know that she could be a little unpredictable, but she had also sacrificed herself for his friends, which meant she was probably worth bringing along.

Even though Jack was aware that Vala wasn't big on military protocol, he hadn't quite been prepared for her to answer the door wearing a mudpack and with curlers in her hair.

For Vala, battle readiness was something that only happened to other people. It was no wonder that Daniel complained that she was late a lot of the time.

"What can I do for you, General," she purred.

Somehow, she managed to make 'general' sound like a dirty word.

"Let's just cut the crap," Jack said. He really didn't have time for whatever this woman's game might be. "You need to be ready to leave in about… oh… fifteen minutes. I'll meet you topside."

She gaped at him, temporarily silenced by his abrupt manner. Jack had been around a long time, and had dealt with a whole lot worse than Vala. After all, when it came to insubordination, he had written the book. Still he couldn't resist adding,

"And I'd try Dead Sea mud if I were you… gives a much smoother finish."

"Maybe next time," she shouted after him and Jack couldn't help smiling to himself. Vala would work out just fine. At least she didn't have a stick up her butt. It had taken months for Jack to get Carter to relax.

Mitchell, however was another case entirely. Jack knew he was partially responsible for the man's current position. He had after all, given him SG-1, albeit under slightly dubious circumstances. Jack had never expected Mitchell to see action. With the Goa'uld and the replicators gone, the assignment should have been nothing more that standard recon; trips to other planets, maybe a few skirmishes with the natives… just enough to get the kid used to active duty. No one could have predicted the Ori threat. Talk about getting thrown in at the deep end. Yet Mitchell had exceeded Jack's expectations. The fact that the kid was still on base indicated that he had a Carter-like enthusiasm for his job. 'He'd learn,' the cynical part of Jack's mind said.

Jack had to do a little searching, but eventually found the younger man shooting hoops in the gym. In Jack's eyes, there was something very wrong about that. When he'd been Mitchell's age, he'd been spending every spare moment with Sara and Charlie. Although the memories were painful, Jack would never want to change that part of his life. Different people wanted different things out of life, he supposed.

"Hey!" he shouted, getting Mitchell's attention.

"Sir!" Mitchell snapped off a salute that was just a little bit sloppy.

"Got a job for you," Jack added.

The young man's chest swelled visibly at the thought of being singled out by General Jack O'Neill. Jack shook his head. His reputation had been built by those he'd served with… Carter, Daniel and Teal'c were the ones who deserved the hero worship.

"How do you feel about time travel?" Jack asked.

"Haven't done it yet, sir."

"Good… you know what they say about new experiences?"

"What do they say?"

"Meet me topside in fifteen."

"I'll be there, sir."

Just enough time to get himself ready. It had been a while, Jack realised as he headed towards the armoury. Sure, he might wear his BDUs when at the SGC but that was more out of his hatred of dress blues than any expectation that he'd see action. Truth be told, he hadn't used a weapon in anger for over a year. Jack was hoping it was like swimming or riding a bike, it would all come back to him. Sad as it might sound, the thought made him feel more alive than he'd done since taking command of the SGC. He felt like himself again.

XOXOXO

Somehow this didn't feel like a real mission, Cameron Mitchell thought to himself as the plane started its approach. It was a mere hop, skip and a jump from Peterson to Area 51, but due to the quarantine they'd flown themselves… or rather General O'Neill had flown. He was, after all, the General and had made a good case out of wanting to keep his hours up but Cameron didn't particularly like being relegated to the back seat. He felt somewhat out of control. The fact O'Neill had let Vala take the co-pilots spot was an additional petty annoyance. Perhaps he'd been worried that Cam would turn out to be a back seat driver. But surely nothing could be more annoying than Vala and her copy of Cosmo... out of which she insisted on reading the sex tips.

Cam knew that his own leadership style was fairly relaxed, but O'Neill seemed to take it to previously unknown extremes.

And, strange as it might sound, he actually missed having Sam, Daniel and Teal'c around. He found himself wondering exactly how Daniel would have reacted to Vala flirting with the General. The thought kept him amused for the next several minutes as he stared aimlessly out of the window. The plane was loosing height. They flew over the roadblock and there seemed to be a ring of people surrounding the base. Whatever was happening down there, the Joint Chiefs were obviously taking it very seriously. Straining his eyes, Cam could just about make out the familiar features of Area 51. He'd been there a few times during his stint as a test pilot.

It didn't take a genius to recognise something was wrong.

General O'Neill must have sensed it too. Instead of making for the airstrip, he took the plane in closer, circling low over the base.

Nothing moved.

"What is it? What's happening?" Vala asked.

"Don't know yet," O'Neill replied. "Mitchell, break out the heavy weapons, I think we might need them."

Mitchell did as ordered. Clutching his P90 to his chest, as he eagerly awaited the landing. Not that he expected to be attacked as soon as he stepped off the plane, but it didn't hurt to be prepared. It seemed that O'Neill was of a similar mind set. He made sure they were all fully armed before opening the cabin door.

There was no one to greet them. The airfield was deserted.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Mitchell muttered.

"Keep your eyes open," O'Neill replied. His way of telling Mitchell to keep his mouth shut. Something that Cameron didn't really appreciate and the grin on Vala's face didn't help. He hadn't realised how much he'd gotten used to being in command. For the first time since joining the SGC, Cameron appreciated how Colonel Carter must have felt when he took command of SG-1.

They found the first body on the edge of the airfield. O'Neill knelt down to try to find a pulse, but Mitchell could see that there was no real point. He couldn't tell if the mutilated corpse was male or female, so there was very little chance that the person could still be alive. It looked as if something had eaten it from the inside.

O'Neill hissed as he stood upright. Massaging his right knee, he looked around, getting his bearings.

"Should we find what did this?" Mitchell asked.

"I don't think we want to do that," O'Neill answered.

"Jack, is there something you want to tell us?" Vala said.

"You've read the reports. You know as much as I do."

"Actually I didn't."

"Vala!" Mitchell exclaimed.

"I was washing my hair!"

"Play nice, children," O'Neill chided.

Mitchell, however had done the required background reading, but he'd be the first to admit that most of it didn't make a whole lot of sense. The files had included some photos but they had been of poor quality. Mitchell had been able to make out little more than a dark alien shape.

"Just shoot first, ask questions later," the General finished.

"And if they're human?" Vala asked.

"I very much doubt there's anyone left alive."

XOXOXO

Vala didn't understand Jack O'Neill, one moment he'd been flirting with her and the next he'd turned into G I Joe. He had her off balance and she didn't like that in a man. She was starting to discover that it was a common trait in Tau'ri males. Then again it was their inherent unpredictability that made them exciting. She was sure that Earth's isolation from the rest of the galaxy had something to do with it.

She didn't like this place, she realised as she trailed after Jack and Colonel Mitchell. It felt dead… just like the worlds she had savaged when host to Qetesh. Vala found herself clutching her gun a little tighter as she followed the two men. Most of the time, she managed to repress the memories, but she would never be able to truly forget her time as Goa'uld.

At first, she had been flattered to be invited to take part in this mission, especially when she'd found out that the rest of SG-1 were being left behind. However, the novelty was rapidly wearing off. She felt superfluous. This was Earth, their home planet and they didn't need her knowledge. Vala knew that there was a certain amount of alien technology stored in this place, but she doubted that she'd get the chance to steal anything of any value. Besides, she wanted to stay as close to the others as possible. This wasn't the time to be making any side trips.

"Did you hear that?" she asked.

Her voice sounded strange. Squeaky. Mitchell glared at her, but O'Neill swung around, scanning the surrounding buildings. For a moment, Vala wondered if her imagination wasn't getting the better of her. Then she heard it again. A scuttling… something that had too many legs. She looked up and there it was, staring down at them. There was a moment of absolute silence before Mitchell swung his P90 upwards and shot crap out of it. At least that's what Vala thought he'd done but when the dust cleared, there was no sign of the creature. No blood, no dismembered body parts, nothing.

"I think I got it," Mitchell said.

"Let's move," O'Neill ordered.

He clearly didn't share Mitchell's optimism. Neither did Vala. If that thing had managed to evade the bullets then it could move faster than anything she'd known. It knew they were here then it was probably fetching its creepy little friends. If they didn't find the time ship, or it wasn't operational, their chances of getting out of here were slim to none.

Great! After everything she'd been through, Vala realised that she was going to die on this backwater planet. Killed by a bug. The thought was enough to make her run that bit faster.

Either it was her sudden turn of speed, or O'Neill's age, but he was lagging behind herself and Mitchell. He didn't look like he was trying. Since he was the only one who could fly the time ship, Vala thought it was most irresponsible of him to be hanging back.

"Sir!" Mitchell called out.

But O'Neill didn't appear to be taking any notice. His attention seemed to be fixed on something else. Then he stopped. Vala almost screamed in frustration. Even she knew that this wasn't the most defensible place; stuck between two building, walls rearing up on either side. She wanted an empty space, somewhere she could move.

"Go!" O'Neill barked over his shoulder.

"What about you?" Vala shouted back.

"I won't be long."

She couldn't work out what he was waiting for, but before she could ask any questions Mitchell grabbed her arm and dragged her away. Then she saw them. Hundreds and hundreds of them, climbing over each other in their eagerness to squeeze down the narrow alley. Vala didn't wait to be shouted at again.

When they finally reached an open space, she and Mitchell both turned and waited. Once again, Vala was struck by the lack of sound. Mitchell's breathing sounded unnaturally loud… either that or he needed to work out more often.

"Run!"

O'Neill appeared from between the buildings, sprinting towards them as if his life depended on it. They didn't have a chance to follow his order. Vala was still looking back the way they had come when the structures erupted in a torrent of noise and flame. She was knocked off her feet. Landing face down in the dust, Vala felt another body land on top of hers, protecting her from the rain of debris.

"Should slow them down," she heard O'Neill mutter in her ear.

"You've been eating a little too much cake, Jack," Vala said as she nudged him in the ribs, making him roll off her.

"So do we have any C4 left?" Mitchell asked.

O'Neill just grinned. "This way," he said.

XOXOXO

Jack knew that he'd brought them some time, nothing more. According to the information Samantha had given him. These things were almost impossible to kill. Glancing across at Mitchell and Vala, Jack wondered if he should tell them of the orders he'd left with Hank Landry. Probably not. They didn't need to know that this place was going to be reduced to radioactive rubble if they didn't manage to complete their mission. They were working to a time limit.

He'd been ignoring his watch since they'd landed. Now, as he glanced at the timepiece, he realised they didn't have that much time left. But they had to succeed, right? Because Samantha had met them back in the past therefore… the area behind his eyes started to hurt. He missed Carter, he realised. She could have explained all of this.

The ship was exactly where she'd said it would be which gave Jack a little more hope. If they hadn't moved it, then the chances were it was still in good condition. He felt a quiet buzz of familiarity as he climbed onboard. It was almost as if the ship knew him. Jack didn't like to think about the tangle of genetic material he had somehow been stuck with, but he was gratified when the controls sprang to life at his lightest touch.

"Where are we going?" Mitchell asked as he took one of the seats behind.

"Not where… when," Jack grinned.

It was an obvious thing to say, but he liked the effect his words had on Mitchell and Vala. Besides, they were in an enclosed space and Jack wasn't sure the puddle jumper would stand the strain of going through the roof.

Jack had to admit a certain trepidation with regards to venturing into Earth's past without Daniel. Okay, so technically there would be another Daniel already there, but it wouldn't be the same. Jack would have just felt more comfortable with his Daniel around… or make that anyone who had a vague idea of the world they were about to step into.

"They're coming!" Mitchell's shout shocked Jack back to reality.

Mitchell scrambled out of his seat and headed towards the back of the craft.

"Sit tight!" Jack ordered.

Leaning forward, he peered out into the darkness. There was definitely something moving out there. How many of them, Jack wasn't sure but there was no need for Mitchell's brand of heroics. He closed his eyes, thinking of a time before the USAF had left their mark on this land. The change was instantaneous. One second they were inside the dark warehouse, the next the sun was shining.

"Is that it?" Vala asked.

"What did you expect?" Jack asked.

"I don't know… the whole shop window thing from the Time Machine would have been nice."

"What?"

Jack knew the reference; he just didn't want to get embroiled in a discussion of the artistic merits of cinematic time travel. It worked. That was all that mattered. Of course he had no idea if he had managed to guide the ship to the right era, but Jack had faith in Carter, whatever reality she came from.

"Next stop Antarctica," he grinned.


	17. Chapter 17

Antarctica ?

"I thought we were heading back to Guatemala?" Cameron Mitchell heard himself ask.

No one had said anything about Antarctica.

"Got a problem with that?" General O'Neill asked.

"No, sir."

At least he hoped he didn't. He wouldn't know until they got there. The last thing he wanted was a case of nerves... to be sitting in the back yelling 'mind that iceberg!' every time General O'Neill twitched.

Mitchell honestly didn't remember much about his last visit to the continent. Flying an F-302 against Anubis' forces hadn't given him a lot of time to admire the scenery. Hell, there hadn't been time to blink and barely enough to breath. He'd never been in a dogfight like it. Shit scared was probably an understatement. Going into battle high on adrenalin was one thing, but sooner or later the buzz was replaced by naked fear. It had happened as soon as Mitchell had realised that, unless SG-1 pulled off some kind of miracle, it was a battle they hadn't a hope of winning.

But SG-1… or rather General O'Neill, had once again saved the planet. Mitchell hadn't learned the facts until later. He'd been unconscious when the fight had ended. One second he had been flying the F-302 and the next he had been heading towards the deck. There had been nothing he could have done to prevent the crash. He knew that… or at least his brain did. His heart was another matter. Mitchell had lost his co-pilot in the crash, and he doubted that he'd ever forgive himself.

As they flew over the bleak landscape, he found himself staring obsessively out of the window, looking for some sign of the battle … even though the confrontation wouldn't happen for another two thousand years. He was unable to recognise the place where his plane would go down. Somehow that surprised him, even though he knew that the land here changed on a seasonal basis.

"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Vala asked.

"I've been here before," O'Neill replied, a little shortly.

All of the General's playfulness seemed to have vanished and Mitchell realised that he wasn't the only one who had misgivings about being here. Did he really know the way or was he just faking? It seemed the answer was the former. Before many more minutes had passed, O'Neill had brought the time ship down to hover over the ice.

"Is this it?" Vala asked. She sounded disappointed.

"Almost," O'Neill replied.

Without warning, he fired at what appeared to be a completely benign glacier.

"What the…?" Mitchell heard himself exclaim.

"We have to dig a little."

Being cold and uncomfortable wasn't exactly what Mitchell had anticipated when he'd signed on for this mission. And when O'Neill had said digging he hadn't really thought… but here he was, freezing his ass of while trying to clear the entrance to the Ancient Outpost. Without the benefit of a Goa'uld scout ship, ringing in wasn't an option, so they had to do it the hard way. The time ship's weapons had been enough to remove most of the ice and snow but it had gotten to the point where O'Neill had to stop for fear of damaging what was inside.

Even through his gloves, Mitchell could feel his hands blistering. Vala had stopped complaining an hour ago and was digging with determination. The thought of getting out of the wind was incredibly motivating. Mitchell was cold in places where he didn't even know he had places. How anything could survive out here was a mystery to him. Carter had managed to keep an injured Colonel O'Neill alive for longer that anyone had thought possible. From what Mitchell could understand there had been some shared body heat involved… lucky dog.

"Something funny Mitchell?" O'Neill demanded, raising his voice over the howl of the wind.

"No sir." Cameron hadn't realised that he'd been smirking. He stopped.

"Then would you care to join the rest of us inside or stay out here and watch for killer attack penguins?"

"Right behind you, sir."

They had managed to clear the ice and snow from the entrance to the underground outpost. Taking one of his gloves off O'Neill ran his fingers over the surface. He must have activated a hidden control because a door slid open. In the future, Mitchell knew that humans would punch their own way into the base, using the hole the O'Neill had drilled through the ice as an elevator shaft. The Ancients were more subtle and more decorative.

They found themselves walking down a ramp that spiralled gracefully downward. Walking into the heart of the outpost, Mitchell took a moment to look around. The chamber was infused with an understated glow, very different from the harsh working lights that decorated the room in their own time.

"At least there's power," O'Neill muttered as he moved towards the control chair.

XOXOXO

Intellectually, Jack knew that he was in no more danger now than on any other journey to Antarctica. However, he was a little tired of almost dying every time he came here. He'd kind of like this trip to be the exception to the rule. As he settled himself in the chair, his eyes couldn't help drifting towards the place where he had spent weeks in suspended animation. Not exactly his favourite kind of vacation, but it had served its purpose. If anything went wrong this time, there wouldn't be any kindly Asgard to revive him. Although it was entirely possible that one of them was up there watching, they wouldn't have any personal interest in this particular member of the human race.

Jack often found himself wondering exactly how he had managed to inherit the particular set of genes that gave him access to all these Ancient dohickeys. He supposed it was a bit like Carter being able to use Goa'uld technology, somewhere between a blessing and a curse. Sometimes, the power at his command scared the crap out of him. And those moments when Jack knew what it felt like to be smart, to have solutions come easily as breathing. The Ancient download nearly killed him each time it happened but somehow that wasn't enough to make up for the dull feeling he always had when he returned to his normal self. Knowing what it felt like to be Daniel or Carter, didn't make him any more sympathetic to them. If anything, he was hasher than necessary. Something he always regretted.

Letting his fingers sink into the controls, Jack closed his eyes focusing on the ZPM. At least he hoped that was what was on his mind. At this point, a stray thought could blow up the planet… quite literally. With a hum, the ZPM rose from the platform. Leaving the chair, Jack grabbed hold of the device, pulling it free of its socket. The lights died.

Cradling the ZPM to his chest, he led the way back to the surface.

Jack almost felt that the hard part was done as he took the timeship to Guatemala.

He had no idea if the other team would have made it yet but Jack knew that running into his other self was something he couldn't afford to do, so he handed the ZPM to Mitchell.

"If they aren't there, hide it in the tomb," he ordered. "Leave a note if you have to."

They couldn't afford to wait around for the others to show up, Jack realised. The longer they were here, the more chance they had of screwing up the timeline.

He watched them go with a certain amount of trepidation. He'd done all he could and now it was up to the younger generation.

XOXOXO

"Can I carry it?" Vala asked as she and Mitchell walked away from the timeship.

"No," Mitchell replied.

Vala stuck her tongue out at him. She hadn't really expected him to relinquish possession of the ZPM but had spoken out of the need to… to what? Annoy him? Well she did enjoy getting a rise out of Mitchell. In some ways, he was even easier to bait than Daniel was. The truth was her earlier feelings of redundancy had grown as the mission had progressed. If she had realised that the only reason Jack wanted her along was to use her as a navvy, she would have stayed home and dyed her hair. The hours of wielding a shovel had ruined her nails.

She found that she missed the other members of SG-1. Over the past few months, she had started to value the companionship they offered. It didn't feel right to just have Mitchell by her side, especially as he seemed to be taking all this far too seriously for her liking.

As far as she was concerned, this was a simple drop off. They might have to dodge a few angry natives, and large spiders, but there was no ultimate evil to fight. Mitchell could certainly afford to loosen up a little. They had guns, so in Vala's mind they had a clear advantage if it did come to a fight. Of course, they had landed a fair distance from the city and Vala didn't fancy running back. However, O'Neill was only a radio call away and she was sure he wouldn't be averse to pulling of off a daring rescue, should it be required.

"Do you think we're here yet… the other us, I mean?" she went on.

"Why? Do you want to share hair care tips with yourself," Mitchell replied.

"If my other self has gone blonde I could see how I look."

"You're thinking of going blonde?"

"Why not? You know what they say about gentlemen and blondes."

"You're not Marilyn Monroe."

"It seems to work for Sam."

Mitchell just shook his head.

"Or red. I think I'd look quite striking with red hair."

"Vala… just shut up."

She smirked to herself. Perhaps this trip was going to be more enjoyable than she'd expected. Vala let the silence between them grow for a couple of minutes. Just long enough to let Mitchell think that he cowed her into being quiet.

"Do you think Sam and General O'Neill are doing it?"

"What!?!"

Wanting to shock him, Vala had certainly hit the target.

"You must have heard the rumours," she pushed.

"General O'Neill and Colonel Carter are professional Air Force officers," Mitchell said.

"So?"

"Of course they're not doing it!"

"Why not?"

Mitchell opened his mouth to reply but stopped short of speaking, at first Vala thought he was taking her words seriously, but she quickly realised that he wasn't even looking at her.

"What?" she asked.

"Get down," he hissed, dragging her into the undergrowth.

Now she'd stopped talking, Vala could hear the sound of people approaching. A lot of people.

"They're heading towards the ship," she realised.

He thumbed the control on his radio,

"Sir, this is Mitchell."

"What?" came O'Neill's snippy reply. The man was a real grouch, Vala realised.

"You're going to have company."

"Okay, thanks for the heads up. You know what you have to do."

"Yes sir."

"What? We have to help him," Vala argued.

"General O'Neill can look after himself," Mitchell replied. "Our first priority is to complete the mission."

Vala knew that now was the time to shut up. Never mind that a hostile force was currently marching towards their only means of escape. Even if the timeship was left intact, O'Neill was the only one who could fly it. She couldn't help feeling annoyed that their chauffer had decided to risk himself in this way. If he'd come with them at least herself and Mitchell could have offered him some kind of protection. Mitchell wasn't helping with his 'complete the mission' mentality. Screw the mission, screw saving the human race. Vala had no desire to spend the rest of her life in the jungle. She wasn't really the back to nature type.

XOXOXO

It should have been easy. Just turn on the cloaking device and sit back and laugh as the natives hurled themselves against the invisible wall.

Should have been…

Jack made several attempts to activate the cloak, before he realised that it wasn't working. It was only when he visually assessed the situation… ran outside and looked that he realised something was wrong. When he investigated further, he realised that there was no cloaking device. Some egghead over at Area 51 must have removed it, because there was a space and a whole heap of redundant fibre optic cables where the instrument should have been.

Contrary to popular opinion, Jack had read the specs. He may not have understood them, but he knew which bit was supposed to fit. He swore to himself.

Unfortunately, he couldn't manufacture a new cloaking device out of duct tape and toilet tissue.

Even though the natives weren't armed with sophisticated weapons, Jack was well aware that they could still do significant damage. And that the ship was his only way out of here.

Jack knew he didn't have long to make his decision. If the ship was left intact then there was a chance that someone could be found to fly it. Grabbing his P90 Jack headed out of the ship and towards the city.

He didn't know what they were looking for. It might just be a hunting party. If so he thought that he had a fair chance of drawing them away from the ship. Jack couldn't believe that they were looking for him specifically. He'd been careful with the landing and hadn't flown directly over the city; even so, there was a chance that someone had seen the ship.

The rain forest wasn't the easiest terrain in which to stage a diversion, especially when the bad guys knew the place a whole lot better than you did. But the natives were making no attempts to hide their approach. They had the confidence of numbers. Jack melted back into the jungle, counting at least twenty as they went past him. Tuned to the conditions here, Jack knew that all he had to do was move… make a sound and they'd be after him.

He waited until they were almost out of sight…

… then he moved.

As soon as he broke cover, they were after him. Twenty seconds later, and Jack realised what a dumb idea this had been. He had no idea where he was going. The jungle terrain was completely unfamiliar, and far more difficult to negotiate than he'd expected. This was a living, breathing forest, endless and without reprieve. He wasn't going to suddenly come across a road and be able to flag down a passing car. Deep down, he knew that he could have taken out his pursuers with one sweep of his P90, but he had no desire to hurt them. He could only hope that they would be as merciful when they finally caught up with him.

And it wasn't just humans.

Running through a web, Jack caught a glimpse of a spider as big as his hand. He was by no means arachnophobic but he couldn't suppress a yelp of fear as it landed on his face. He swept it away with a brush of his hand but the encounter had slowed him down for a few vital seconds.

The vegetation was heavy enough to obscure Jack's pursuers from view, but he knew they were snapping at his heels. Realisation of their close pursuit gave him the adrenalin burst he needed to run faster. Jack knew he'd suffer for this later, assuming he was allowed that luxury. Right now, there were enough endorphins pumping through his body to keep him running pain free.

He knew he was lucky, lucky not to break a leg on the rough terrain, lucky not to run into anything larger and more dangerous than a spider, lucky that…

The ground disappeared from beneath his feet and Jack found himself falling through the air. He didn't even have time to scream before he hit the bottom.


	18. Chapter 18

**Meetings**

"Fat!"

So maybe he'd gained a few pounds but even in his weakened condition, Jack knew he could whip the other guy's ass should he so choose. But right now he wasn't going to bother. He was just going to sit down for a moment and catch his breath. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this crappy. This trip seemed to have been doomed from the start. Jack remembered being chased by the natives. Falling through space as he figured this was it, he was going to die.

Fate, it seemed had other plans in store.

He'd hit water. Sinking deep below the surface, he'd had the sense to stay down and swim away from the point he'd sunk.

Now, staring at his counterpart, Jack recalled what Samantha had said before she died,

_"I couldn't risk running into myself… it screws you up… even now… I'm too close."_

She'd been right about that, just like she'd been right about every other damn thing. Samantha had known this was going to happen. Jack reasoned. That was why she'd told him to take Mitchell and Vala, so he'd have at least two people able to function. Jack was willing to bet good money that he'd started to get sick the very second this other him had turned up.

"You alone?" he asked.

"And why would I tell you if I weren't," O'Neill replied.

Jack closed his eyes for a second. He really should learn to trust himself he reasoned.

"We must stop meeting like this," he muttered.

"What?" O'Neill snapped.

"Nothing."

Since Samantha had told him to take Mitchell and Vala, Jack reckoned that this version of himself must be with Carter, Daniel and…

"T? You out there buddy?" he called out.

His counterpart's expression remained impassive, which was a dead giveaway. Teal'c was out there somewhere… probably right behind him if Jack knew his friend. To prove the point Jack turned around. Sure enough, Teal'c was standing behind him, with a Zat gun clutched in his hand.

"At least something is going right," Jack muttered to himself, just before Teal'c fired and he felt himself collapse.

O'Neill stood over him as he lay on the ground twitching. Jack glared up at his counterpart, wishing he had the strength to punch the guy's lights outs. Sometimes he could shake off the effects of a zat blast quickly, but his weakened condition wasn't helping.

"Hide him," the other man ordered.

XOXOXO

There was something very satisfying about confusing both Sam and Daniel in one breath. Despite the situation they were in, Vala couldn't keep the smirk off her face.

"Jack?" Sam questioned.

"General O'Neill," Vala explained, even though she was sure that Sam knew who Jack was. There was something odd about the other woman's face, as if the familiarity annoyed her.

Vala knew that these people weren't 'her' Daniel and Sam. At least not in the strictest sense of the word. Meeting up with their counterparts from the other timeline hadn't been part of the plan, and then again, neither had the capture of herself and Colonel Mitchell.

"Parallel universe?" Daniel questioned, but Sam shook her head. Her eyes narrowed in the expression Vala had learned to mean that she was trying to figure something out.

"Not a parallel universe… not exactly," Sam muttered. "A different timeline? We're here to change the past so I'm guessing you're from our alternative future."

"So we fail," Daniel said.

"Not exactly," Vala replied.

She wasn't certain how much she could tell them. This Sam had to be the one who had delivered the warning and in order to do that she had to get out of here with a functioning ZPM.

Vala had been here three days and she hadn't been able to bribe the Jaffa in any way, shape or form and she'd given up waiting for Colonel Mitchell to come to her rescue. Their separation hadn't been very amicable. Hathor had seemed to find the Colonel attractive and had sent him off to her harem. Mitchell hadn't protested at least not after Hathor had kissed him. Something that Vala had found odd at the time. The man might have his faults but a lack of loyalty to his team wasn't one of them.

Hathor had the ZPM. Although Vala was sure that the Goa'uld queen had no idea what to do with the power source, it had been attractive enough to take pride of place in Hathor's throne room. Vala had no idea what had happened to Jack… He was their way out of here unless…

"Did you bring one too?" she asked.

"A what?" Daniel replied.

"A Jack?"

"Wait a second," Sam interrupted, "There are two of them?"

"Assuming mine is still alive."

"That explains why General O'Neill got sick."

"Entropic cascade failure?" Daniel asked.

"Or something like it."

"Excuse me?" Vala interrupted, she hadn't the faintest idea what they were talking about.

"Even if your… the other Jack is still alive he may not be in a position to help us," Sam admitted.

"So we have to help ourselves."

Silence fell between the three of them.

"Any ideas?" Vala asked.

XOXOXO

With the night came the fear. Somehow, these places weren't so bad when you could catch a glimpse of sunlight through the windows. By dint of missing their evening meal, Daniel, Sam and Vala had managed to claim a spot by the wall. Sleep, however wasn't coming easily, at least not to Daniel. Vala was curled up like a kitten at his side, snoring happily. Somehow his mind was having trouble coping with the fact that she was here, fit and apparently healthy. She wasn't the woman who had been tempered by months of sickness and pain.

So many times, he'd wished that Vala's injuries had never happened, that somehow she could be restored… and now... this wasn't exactly what he'd had in mind.

He had the feeling that they were going to have to find their own way out of here. Waiting for Jack and Teal'c to ride to the rescue was all very well, but if Jack was still incapacitated, it was doubtful that Teal'c would leave him. Seemed Sam was of the same mind. She sat beside him, eyes half open, watching the guards pacing backwards and forwards in front of the cell.

As the hours dragged on, Daniel realised that he wanted to get out of there in the worst possible way. He had the feeling that, despite being distracted by her current favourite, Hathor hadn't forgotten about him. She was in this building somewhere, far too close for comfort.

"What do you think?" he whispered.

Sam shook her head, "If we had someone on the outside we might stand a chance."

"What?" Daniel hissed. He had an idea where this might be going. "You're not serious?" he snapped.

"Hathos likes you," Sam returned.

"Sam she…"

He choked, unable to tell her exactly what had happened all those years ago. Sam squeezed his had.

Even though in their reality SG-1 was long gone, there was still a chain of command. Sam could make it an order, but Daniel knew that she'd never do that. Somehow, that made his decision worse. He didn't have anyone else to blame but himself if he went through with it.

She was right about one thing. From what he had seen, Hathor's favourites appeared to have unusual privileges. They seemed to have more freedom than your run of the mill save but every single one of them had been infected by the breath of Hathor. Daniel knew from first hand experience that free will would have been stripped away from them, which was what Sam was relying on. Having already been exposed to the organism Hathor was able to exhale, Daniel knew that he was immune, even so...

He wanted to wait until morning, give himself time to get used to the idea, but if he did that he knew he'd chicken out completely. If he did this now it would be on his terms. He wouldn't be just sitting here, waiting for Hathor to come and get him.

Decision made, Daniel pushed himself to his feet.

"Keep hold of those," he said as he handed Sam his glasses.

"Daniel?" Vala's sleepy voice questioned, but he ignored her.

His movement towards the bars was enough to alert the guards. They stopped walking and started muttering amongst themselves. Daniel cleared his throat, dredging his mind for fragments of the language he needed to use. Just to add to the drama, he sank to his knees before the bars.

"Your goddess, Hathor came to me in a dream and ordered that you bring me before her majesty!" he declaimed.

The guards looked at each other, whispering again, and pointing, there was a lot of pointing.

"Her anger will be great and terrible if you do not allow me to service her pleasure!"

Yes, it was OTT, but he independent thought wasn't held in high esteem amongst the ranks of Hathor's Jaffa. Daniel guessed that they had been chosen for their physical perfection rather than intellectual prowess. He doubted that any one of them had had an original idea in their lives.

"Bring me before her!"

His final command seemed to be enough to galvanize them into action. Daniel assumed that no one in their right mind would actually demand to be brought into Hathor's presence, so his dream story probably made some kind of sense. Whatever, they didn't appear to be willing to take any risks. Daniel imagined that Hathor got very tetchy if she didn't get her own way. You just didn't cross a goddess with perpetual PMT.

Daniel wasn't taken straight to the Goa'uld queen. The Jaffa guards weren't quite gullible enough to do that, they sought instruction from their First Prime. Standing before the impressive looking warrior, Daniel knew that he couldn't let up the act, not for a second.

"Where is she?" he pleaded. "Where is my goddess?"

For a few heart stopping moments, the First Prime stared at him, and Daniel thought he was going to be dragged right back to the cell. However, this Jaffa had been present when Daniel had first been brought before Hathor and he recalled his mistress' interest.

"Prepare him," he ordered.

Even though he'd already experienced varying degrees of humiliation during his travels through the Universe, Daniel was still unprepared for what happened next. He struggled to keep his body limp and compliant as he was bathed and shaved. It seemed that Hathor wasn't a fan of body hair. After he'd been suitably oiled, he was dressed in a loincloth, slung low across his hips. Only then was he considered worthy to be in Hathor's presence.

Daniel was taken to her throne room, for which he was somewhat relieved. There wasn't a bed in sight.

"Why do you disturb us?" she demanded of her First Prime.

"This one begged to be brought to you," the Jaffa replied.

Doing his best to twist his expression into one of vapid adoration, Daniel stood completely still as Hathor inspected him. Where women were concerned, he wasn't really the ogling kind, but he suddenly had a clear picture of what if felt like to be stared at like he was a piece of meat. Hathor, it seemed, was pleased. She trailed a finger down his cheek, before kissing him. Daniel felt the bile rise in his stomach as her lips caressed his. Throwing up right now would be bad… very bad.

Fighting the urge to wipe his hand across his mouth, Daniel took an involuntary step backwards when she finally released him.

"He pleases me," Hathor announced. "Take him to the others."

Weak kneed with relief, Daniel trotted after the First Prime. So far, so good. It looked as if Sam's plan might just work after all.

The room he was taken to was a veritable paradise. As Daniel had expected, Hathor's personal slaves lived a life of relative luxury. There had to be a dozen men in the room, all of them monuments to physical perfection. Although he had bulked up over the years, Daniel felt a bit of a wimp as he was led to an empty bed.

So phase one was over, he would have to wait a few hours before initiating phase two. He had to hope that Hathor wouldn't call for him during that time. Sitting on the bed, he took another look around the harem. They weren't guarded, there was no need. All of these men were under Hathor's control. They wouldn't want to escape. Lying back, Daniel decided to try to catch a few hours sleep before making his move.

"You!"

The cry woke Daniel from his light slumber and he had time to twist his body off the bed before his assailant made contact. He hit the stone floor hard and rolled to his feet. Daniel didn't get a close look at the other man. He didn't get the time. No sooner had he stood than he found himself on the ground again, this time with two hundred pounds of angry male pinning him down.

"She's mine, mine, mine," the man snarled, punctuating each word with punch to Daniel's head.

Daniel managed to get his hands up to protect his face but the move was purely defensive. He had little experience at fighting an opponent so enraged. This was Hathor's current favourite… it had to be judging by the jewellery that the man was wearing. Daniel knew he was going to have to go on the offensive, as there was no way this man was going to listen to reason.

With a grunt, he managed gain enough leverage to roll them over, slamming the other man into the ground. He then delivered a neat right hook, rendering his opponent unconscious. Panting Daniel hauled the stricken man onto the bed, checking him over to make sure he hadn't done any permanent damage. It was only as he leaned closer, bringing the man's face into focus, that Daniel realised he knew his opponent.

Slack jawed, his eyes just fluttering open Cameron Mitchell stared back with no recognition at all.


	19. Chapter 19

_"Ours is the only reality of consequence."_

Teal'c truly believed those words, yet it had been strangely difficult to shoot the other O'Neill. He knew that the zat blast wouldn't keep the man down for long, but Teal'c had taken the time to make certain that the man's prone form was well hidden. He would follow O'Neill into fire, unfortunately when there was more than one of them Teal'c felt that his loyalties were truly divided.

It was with a certain amount of reluctance that he followed his own General and left the other one behind. The health of his own O'Neill seemed to have improved somewhat. It seemed as if the encounter with the counterpart had awakened his competitive spirit. O'Neill was now determined to rescue their friends before the other man had a chance.

As darkness fell, the streets of the city emptied. Teal'c would have preferred to wait a few more hours but O'Neill was insistent. Time was of the essence and they had a whole city to search. They started with the pyramid, hoping that Daniel Jackson and Major Carter had at least made it that far.

"You don't think they're up there do you?" O'Neill asked.

Teal'c recognized the slight whine in his companion's voice. The man did not relish climbing to the top. It was doubtful that his physical condition would allow such an endeavour. Looking up, Teal'c frowned. Anyone up there would be plainly visible from the ground... unless they were trapped inside?

"I will investigate," Teal'c said.

"Good idea. I'll wait down here."

Pleased that O'Neill had the sense not to attempt the climb, Teal'c set off. Even with his Jaffa enhanced strength, he could still feel the burn of his muscles as he made the ascent.

He was almost disappointed to find that his efforts had been in vain. When he reached the summit there was no sign that Colonel Carter or Daniel Jackson had ever been there. However, the vantage point did give him a commanding view of the surrounding area.

There did not appear to be any unusual movement . In fact, there was no movement at all. Teal'c did not know if a curfew was normal in this culture, but there was something about the seemingly empty city that unnerved him. It spoke of rigid control, a harsh regime.

The descent, if anything, was more painful that the climb. This time it was his knees that suffered rather than his quads, but Teal'c still found himself wincing at the unaccustomed pain. He was relieved that O'Neill seemed more preoccupied with the ground at base of the pyramid rather than his friend's discomfort.

"T, look at this," he hissed.

Bending down, Teal'c studied the soil intently. The ground had been scuffed by many feet. The imprints were difficult to distinguish, but there was definitely a partial indentation caused by an SGC issue boot.

"By the size, I'd say it was Carter's," O'Neill went on.

"I concur," Teal'c replied. "This way."

The trail wasn't easy to follow. Many people had walked these streets and the imprint of the army boots had been all but erased. However, there were definitely two pairs of prints, which was somewhat reassuring.

XOXOXO

Sam was already having second thoughts when Daniel got himself dragged off by the Jaffa. Now, three hours later, she was deeply regretting her actions. Even though she couldn't think of another way out, exposing Daniel to Hathor again… well it wasn't an idea of which she was proud. If Hathor hurt him in any way, Sam would have no problem ripping out her over henna'd hair by the roots and to hell with the timeline. It couldn't get much worse than the future she'd lived.

Even with Vala sitting beside her, Sam had never felt so alone. She was stuck hundreds of years in the past without a Stargate to provide a convenient means of escape. There was no way to communicate with the people who shared her prison, so inciting a riot was out of the question. Not for the first time she wished General O'Neill were here. Even with the language barrier, he would have found a way to get through to these people.

She wanted to sleep, so badly, but she was afraid of what she might happen if she did. If Daniel did manage to find a way out for them, then she wanted to be ready and for that, she needed to rest. Sam had considered asking Vala to keep watch, but she couldn't quite bring herself to trust the other woman. After all, they knew very little about that other future. Judging by the obvious similarities in Vala's personality, Sam theorized that the split in the timelines had been a recent one and it had to have something to do with the box. The box that wasn't where it was supposed to be.

Why exactly was Vala here? Sam couldn't remember the other woman offering an explanation.

"Vala," Sam began, "there was a box…"

"I know… it's full of bugs."

Sam nodded.

"We came back to find it, but it's not there... "

"I haven't touched it if that's what you're implying."

"Then why are you here?"

Vala was silent for a moment and Sam wondered if she was under some kind of prohibition when it came to discussing her mission.

"We came here to bring you something," she admitted finally.

"What?"

"A ZPM."

"The one that's in Hathor's throne room?"

"You seemed to think that you'd need one…. Is time travel always this complicated?"

"Pretty much, yes."

"Next time I think I'll stay home."

The two women lapsed back into silence. Sam's mind was whirling. The only reason she would have wanted a ZPM would be to power the Gate, but who was she trying to contact? Atlantis?

At some point, she must have drifted off to sleep because the next thing Sam knew someone was calling her name. Disoriented, she attempted to roll over and bury her head in an non-existent pillow, only to find herself lying on the floor with her face in something she'd rather identify.

"Carter!" the voice hissed again.

Sam looked up.

At that moment, General O'Neill had to be the most beautiful person she'd ever seen. His face was crammed into one of the narrow windows and he was looking down at her with a grin on his face.

"What ya doing?" he asked.

"Waiting for you to get us out," Sam returned with her own smile.

"Is that yours or mine?" Vala asked.

XOXOXO

Finding Carter was one thing, Jack quickly realised. Getting her out of there… now that was going to be more of a problem.

"Put me down," he hissed down to Teal'c.

Jack's respect for the Jaffa had increased ten fold since he had been perched on his shoulders. How could anyone be that strong? They'd reconnoitred they area before waking Carter up, and Jack knew there were far too many guards around for his liking. Of course, they could just set some C4 and blow the wall away but he didn't want to call that kind of attention to himself. Besides, they had history to consider. They couldn't go around randomly killing people for fear of changing the future. Although Jack carried his P90 and his berretta, he knew they would be relying heavily on Teal'c's zat.

"I got nothing. You want to make this up as we go along?" he suggested.

"Indeed," Teal'c replied.

"Sweet."

There was no need for further conversation. He and Teal'c had never needed much in the way of words, which was probably a good thing. Talking wasn't one of Jack's strong points.

Jack took point as the two of them moved silently around the outside of the building. The main entrance seemed to be the only way in or out. There were two men guarding it. Jack would have liked to have gotten in without drawing attention to themselves but both of the guards appeared to be very focussed. He doubted that they were going to be distracted easily. Signalling to Teal'c, Jack indicated that he should take the one on the left. The Zat would make too much noise so they were going to have to do this the old-fashioned way.

From his vantage point, Jack could just about make out Teal'c slipping through the shadows. Figuring his friend had almost reached the target, Jack made his own move. They had to time this just right. As Jack used his P90 to deliver a neat blow to the back of one man's head, he caught of glimpse of Teal'c doing some weird Jaffa ninja thing and both guards were laid out unconscious.

"Nice," Jack hissed. "Come on."

Between them, they dragged both unconscious men inside.

The adrenaline rush was making Jack light headed again, but they didn't have time for him to stop and throw up so he swallowed the bile in his throat and made an effort to match Teal'c's long stride.

Even though the streets outside were empty, there was plenty of activity in the hallways. Several times, they were forced to hide themselves rather than risk confrontation. It made their progress slower than Jack would have liked. As they moved further into the complex, the corridors became narrower and less well-lit. Jack had always relied heavily on his sense of direction and he hoped that skill was with him now. Every turn they took, he expected to run into a blank wall, but their luck seemed to be holding.

"How many?" Jack asked Teal'c when they stood outside the door to the prison area.

Teal'c held up his hand, his fingers splayed.

Okay, so there were five guards in there. Not impossible but they would have to hope that one didn't get away to raise the alarm. Still spurning the use of his automatic weapon, Jack reached for his knife and held out his hand for Teal'c's.

Sometimes it felt better this way. Jack didn't like to acknowledge the baser side of his nature but there was something about discarding his gun which appealed to his primitive instincts. Stripped of his more sophisticated weapons, he felt like he was giving his opponent a fighting chance. God knew Jack was capable of killing a man with his bare hands, but he took no pleasure in the act. It wasn't something of which he could ever be proud.

But this was no time for introspection. Steeling himself, Jack nodded and Teal'c opened the door. The zat fired twice before the men inside had a chance to react but the three remaining guards fired back in kind. Teal'c dropped to the ground, his zat skidding across the floor.

Jaffa… they were dealing with damn Jaffa, Jack realised as he ducked back out of the room. Without really looking what he was doing, Jack hurled one blade through the open doorway, satisfied when he heard a yell. He could only hope that it was a guard he'd hit and not one of the prisoners. Even knowing these men were Jaffa with superior weaponry, he still couldn't leap in there, guns blazing. Jack had caught a brief glimpse of an overcrowded cell, the occupants crowding close to the bars to view the fight… and Carter was one of them.

It was a compromise, but Jack drew his berretta before poking his head around the door again… only narrowly avoiding having his head blown off by a staff weapon. His hat would never be the same again.

Crap! Crap! Crap!

He was going to have to be damn fast and damn accurate. Taking a deep breath, Jack launched himself into the room. In a move worthy of Captain Kirk, he hit the floor, rolled and came up shooting. There were two of them in front of him, one with a knife still sticking out of his arm. The third…

Jack heard the whine of the staff weapon charging. He twisted to return fire but whether it was old age finally catching up with him… or whether it was a result of being on the run for six months and the associated poor diet… Jack never really knew what happened. There was a crack and the intense pain that signalled a torn muscle suddenly overcame him. Jack found himself sprawled on the floor, looking down the wrong end of a staff weapon. If the Jaffa hadn't chosen that moment to pause and laugh at him, Jack would have been dead.

The mist of pain before his eyes, Jack could barely see where he was throwing the second knife. But if flew true, spinning end over end until it plunged into the Jaffa's symbiote. Only then did Jack feel the need to scream.

"O'Neill!"

Teal'c was beside him, looking groggy from the effects of the Zat.

"Open the door," Jack ordered through gritted teeth.

All this would be for nothing if they didn't get these people out. Teal'c retrieved his Zat and, after signalling for the prisoners to fall back, he disintegrated the lock. Jack found himself surrounded by people, all trying to express their gratitude. He just wanted to crawl into a corner.

"Here, sir."

Jack opened his eyes to see Carter standing above him, offering her hand. He took it, allowing her to haul him up. Balanced precariously on his good leg, one arm around Carter, the other around Teal'c, he suddenly noticed another familiar face.

"What's she doing here?" he demanded.

"That's nice," Vala grumbled.

"But wasn't she…"

Carter silenced him with a quick shake of her head. Looking around, Jack realised that someone else was missing.

"Where's Daniel?"

XOXOXO

He knew this man. Somewhere at the back of his befuddled awareness, Cameron Mitchell realised that he had met his rival before. Hathor, his goddess, filled his mind with her glory and there was little to spare for original thought. Despite the virus she had placed in his system, some part of Colonel Mitchell remained … the leader, the man who fought to beat the odds. He wasn't about to let his position as Hathor's favourite be usurped by this newcomer.

Mitchell remembered little of his previous life. If asked, he would have sworn that he had always been here, that his life had been spent in Hathor's company. Certainly, questions arose. He often wondered why he was not able to understand his fellow worshippers, why his skin was a different colour. Then Hathor kissed him and the queries left his mind. He needed nothing else in the universe apart from her. She would be sure to reward him when he revealed that this other man was not a true worshipper.

The man was dangerous, he was sure of that. Mitchell remembered something, a story. A tale of how some were denied the chance to experience the wonder that was Hathor. They had allowed themselves to be separated from their Goddess and her kisses no longer had any effect. He didn't recall reading the SGC report but he did recall that it had been the fault of the blonde haired woman… the revelation was shocking. He'd seen her here, standing with his rival before Hathor's throne. The revelation made Mitchell was now more determined than ever to raise the alarm and gain his reward.

But he had to show some cunning. He had to play the part of the defeated man and, as such, he crawled away after his beating, hoping he was cringing in a convincing fashion.

Then he waited.

It took an hour for the other men to settle. Mitchell lay still the entire time, feigning sleep. Only when the murmur of conversation finally died, did he dare to move. He glanced at the new comer, noting that the man was lying on his bed and staring up at the ceiling. Memory took over once again, for some reason Mitchell recalled that this man had weak eyes. He was unlikely to recognise anyone who happened to move past him say… on the way to the bathroom. Feeling that now was the time to make his move, Mitchell swung his legs over the edge of the bed. As he expected, no one seemed interested in where he was going.

The men here had been chosen for their physical attributes and not their intelligence, but Mitchell had proved that he wasn't just a pretty face. Hathor would listen to him.

Despite being Hathor's chosen, their movements were supervised. Mitchell had barely taken two steps outside of his quarters when he was joined by a particularly burly Jaffa. The man didn't speak, but trailed the required two steps behind as Mitchell made his way through the corridors. He reminded Cam of someone… but he couldn't think whom.

To his surprise and disappointment, Hathor refused to see him immediately. She was busy with another plaything. When he was finally escorted into her presence, Hathor seemed angry, an emotion that Mitchell chose to ignore. Once she had heard his words, he knew that she would be pleased with him.

"Goddess," he breathed, dropping to his knees before her.

"Why have you disturbed us?" she hissed.

"The new one… I have reason to believe that he …"

At the back of his mind, the man that had been Cameron Mitchell twitched and stirred, starting to wake from the sleep that the Goa'uld queen had cast. For a moment, he could not bring himself to say the words he had planned so carefully.

"Believe he is what?"

"Known to me."

"Where from?"

He could see the ring of stone in his mind's eye but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to tell her… that was until she kissed him. Cameron Mitchell fled, leaving a slave in his place.

"The Stargate," he told her.

With a violent backhand, Hathor sent him flying across the room.

"You lie!" she hissed. "My husband… my brother… took the Stargate from this world."

"No," he pleaded, "It's still here."

"Where?"

"Colorado."

"There is no such place. Remove him from our presence!"

Mitchell didn't understand her anger. He couldn't lie to his goddess, surely she realised that? Although he fought valiantly against them, the guards she summoned managed to manhandle him out of the room. He shouted himself hoarse as they dragged him away from her but to no avail. Wherever he was being taken, it wasn't back to his comfortable bed.

Hathor uttered another command and Mitchell knew that she was demanding that her new favourite be brought to her. He couldn't understand what he had done wrong.


	20. Chapter 20

Find Daniel, General O'Neill had ordered. The other O'Neill … not the one Vala had come here with. It raised the question as to whether she was bound to follow this man's orders … which was probably why he had sent Teal'c with her. Not that Vala minded finding Daniel per se, but she was getting a little freaked out by the way her so-called friends were acting around her. Even Teal'c was being weird.

Vala no longer cared about what was happening in that mythical other world. She wanted to get out of here. Find Mitchell, find her O'Neill and get back to the twenty first century. If she could have flown the time ship then… well maybe she wouldn't have left them all here but at least she would have known that there was a way out. She was totally dependent on the others, a feeling that she was still getting used to.

Like now…

She assumed that Teal'c knew where they were going but his habitual lack of conversation always made her nervous. Eventually, someone was going to discover their little 'prison break' and Vala wanted to be several centuries away when it happened… preferably in a nice restaurant.

"Have you any idea where we're going?" she hissed as Teal'c led them down yet another featureless corridor. It felt like they were walking around in circles.

"Hathor's chambers will be on the upper levels," he replied.

"Right… of course… sorry."

And once again, Vala felt like a complete idiot. She'd known that. At the back of her mind she'd remembered, but Goa'uld living habits weren't something she liked to think about. Knowing what Qetesh had considered as entertainment…

She stopped walking.

"Vala mal Doran?" Teal'c questioned.

"We have to hurry. Colonel Mitchell could be there too."

Vala had no idea what Hathor's plans for the two men might be, but she was certain that the result wouldn't be pretty. A queen wasn't above taking whom she wanted. Their predatory instincts were legendary even amongst the Goa'uld and Hathor had the survival of her species to consider.

She heard the screams long before they reached their destination.

Breaking into a run they rounded a corner to see two of Hathor's Jaffa dragging a man bodily from her chambers. He was fighting against them, screaming for his goddess. It took several precious seconds for Vala to realise that the man was Cameron Mitchell. Teal'c, however, was faster on the uptake… either that or he was more able to recognise Mitchell without his pants.

The Colonel didn't quite have the figure to carry off the leather thong, Vala decided as they raced to his rescue. Teal'c took out the two Jaffa with apparent ease, leaving Vala with one slight problem… Mitchell didn't seem to appreciate the fact that she was here to save him. He fought so hard that she wound up sitting on his head. On another occasion, this might have been a pleasurable experience, if she weren't forced to hold his hands away from her body.

"I don't think he recognises us," she panted.

"Indeed," Teal'c replied, "this is to be expected. When Hathor appeared at the SGC she had a similar effect on all of the males. Please remove yourself from the vicinity of Colonel Mitchell."

"You're not going to hurt him, are you?"

"I believe that will be unavoidable."

Realising that Teal'c probably wouldn't care that she was in the way, Vala scrambled away. Mitchell rolled onto his feet, ready to make a bid for freedom, only to be stopped by Teal'c's iron fist. His eyes rolled back into his head and he dropped like a sack of rags. Vala prodded him with her toe.

"One down, one to go," she grinned.

XOXOXO

Sam couldn't work out whether she was pleased to see General O'Neill or not. On the one had it was nice to be rescued on the other she didn't relish the dressing down she was due when he realised just how badly she'd botched this mission. And sending Daniel into the proverbial lion's den… if there had still been a US Air Force in the 21st century then Sam would have been due a demotion.

She should have had more faith in her former commanding officer. They hadn't been in any immediate danger and could have sat tight for a while. That was one of Sam's problems; she always had to try to think her way out of everything. Not for the first time, her plan had backfired. No one could be 100% right 100% of the time but that didn't stop Sam from aiming for perfection.

Right now, she doubted that General O'Neill thought that she was anywhere near perfect. He'd sent Teal'c and Vala after Daniel, probably because he didn't trust Sam to do the job properly and she'd been left with the task of seeing her former cellmates to safety. Although looking around, they didn't have a whole lot of places to go except out into the jungle and Sam had to wonder how they could possibly survive.

But Hathor's reign would not last forever.

Sam knew the history. Before long, the people would realise their goddess was nothing more than a tyrant. They would rebel, entombing Hathor in a pyramid until the twentieth century. Sam tried to take some comfort from the fact that the Goa'uld queen would meet her death at the hands of Jack O'Neill, but it didn't really help their current situation.

As she watched, the last of the prisoners made the short run to the tree line. She'd sent them off in small groups, hoping that way they would escape immediate detection. Looking at the sky, she could tell that the long night was almost over. Ironic really, watching the dawn from Mayan ruins was a lucrative tourist attraction but Sam viewed the lightening sky with a sense of dread. Once the city awakened, it was going to be a whole lot more difficult to get out without hurting anyone. That in mind she hurried back to where General O'Neill was waiting.

During her absence, he'd managed to haul the incapacitated Jaffa into the cells but Sam could tell that he was eager to get out of there.

"About time," he grumbled, as he pulled himself to his feet.

"Sir?" Sam questioned.

"Yes it hurts Carter… but when has that ever stopped me."

Realising that he was in no mood to accept any help, Sam didn't raise a hand when he swayed on his feet. Neither did she attempt to aid him as he started to limp away from her. They were scheduled to meet the others by the pyramid but it didn't take Sam long to realise that O'Neill was headed in the wrong direction.

"Where are we going?" she asked as she hurried to catch up with him.

"The ZPM. Didn't you say we needed one?"

Sam didn't like to say that now might not be the best time. Besides, he was right. There was a plan formulating at the back of her mind. She did need the ZPM and leaving here without it would only mean having to go find another... not a practical proposition without access to a working Stargate.

Or a kick ass spaceship.

Back home they had neither. Sam had agreed to this mission because she hoped to fix the future. With a ZPM, she just might be able to do that, not quite in the way she expected, but at this point Sam was quite content to use a Band-aid rather than invasive surgery.

XOXOXO

Daniel let the guards escort him to Hathor's chambers with a certain amount of resignation. He had hoped to find a way out before the inevitable happened but his encounter with Mitchell had put paid to that. Daniel had noticed Cam leave and had been unsure about what to do about it. At the worst, the man would betray them all to Hathor; at best … he couldn't think of a best right now, not when he was trying not to lose the contents of his stomach.

He supposed that he should be grateful for small mercies in that they hadn't dressed him in one of those ridiculous leather thongs. The fact that Daniel retained some dignity was the one thing stopping him from screaming. It wasn't supposed to end like this. He was supposed to escape, rescue the others and they'd all live happily ever after. There were four Jaffa accompanying him so he didn't think that item one on his agenda was possible, which kind of negated item two. Of course, there was always a possibility he could escape whilst Hathor was … enjoying herself , but she might well keep the Jaffa in the same room. Daniel honestly doubted that it would get that far. There was no way that he was going to be able to … uh … perform under these conditions. However, when he was brought before her, it soon became clear that sex was the last thing on Hathor's mind.

Daniel was taken to the throne room and not the bedroom. Forced to his knees, his head pushed into the stone floor, he was ordered to await Hathor's pleasure. He didn't dare move, not even raising his head when he sensed that she had entered the room. For a while, she said nothing, seemingly content to observe his discomfort. The longer she watched him, the more difficult Daniel found it to maintain his subservient posture. A true servant of Hathor wouldn't sweat like a pig under her gaze.

"This one is different," she mused.

Her fingers clutched at his hair, pulling his head up.

"Why?" she demanded.

Daniel still hoped that he could fool her for just that little bit longer, so he stayed silent.

"Where do you come from?"

She knew, God damn it but somehow… Mitchell, it had to be.

"You are immune, yet we have never met before. How?"

Daniel remained silent and steeled himself against the pain he was sure to come. Hathor raised her hand.

He thought, after all of these years, he might have gotten used to the hand device but the pain of having your brain sucked out of your nostrils never diminished. At least he was getting better at holding the screams in, he thought as he crumpled to the ground.

"Daniel Jackson!"

He couldn't tell exactly where the shout came from.

"Leave him alone you bitch!"

But there was only one person who would talk to Hathor that way… or favour unarmed combat over a P90. Some men might have got a kick out of the fact that two women were physically fighting over them, but Daniel knew that Hathor was likely to pound Vala to a pulp. Vala was lucky that, for the moment, the Jaffa couldn't get a clear shot. However, the advantage only lasted for a few seconds as Hathor recovered from the surprise and threw the other woman across the room.

After bouncing several times, Vala came to a halt in a crumpled heap against the far wall. She didn't move. The Jaffa immediately swung around, the stricken woman in their sights. Daniel shouted … a staff weapon fired… and all hell broke loose.

But Vala hadn't been the one shot. The Jaffa seemed temporarily stunned, unable to decide whether to shoot Daniel or the figure that was running into the room brandishing a smoking staff weapon.

"Daniel Jackson!" Teal'c's voice galvanised Daniel into action. He scooped Vala up in his arms and headed for the door.

He almost tripped over a second body as he did so, none other than Cameron Mitchell. The swelling on the man's jaw spoke volumes as to how he had been restrained. The mighty hand of Teal'c had swung again.

"What the…?"

Daniel looked up to see Jack and Sam standing in front of him. It seemed like everyone wanted to join the party.

"We have to get out of here!" he told them.

"What about the ZPM?" Sam asked.

"No time!" Jack shouted back.

However, her question was answered as Teal'c backed out of the room carrying his staff weapon in one hand. Raising his staff, he blew away the lintel above the door, effectively sealing the throne room

"Okay, let's go," Jack ordered before the dust had a chance to settle.

XOXOXO

Losing the ZPM was a blow, but Jack couldn't let Carter chase after it forever. They'd had their chance and failed. He knew it was time to throw in the towel and get the hell out of Dodge. Despite his injury, Jack brought up the rear as the fled the citadel. He'd sent Carter up to take point. Burdened as they both were, Daniel and Teal'c were out of the mix for now. It didn't look like Mitchell or Vala would be waking up any time before the twenty-first century.

Jack harboured no illusions as to Hathor's current condition. Even if she was dead right now, the chances were that she wouldn't stay that way. History said that she had a sarcophagus stashed somewhere but he had no idea how long the regeneration process would take. Somehow, he didn't think her Jaffa would be idle in the meantime. They had about as long as it would take Hathor's honour guard to dig themselves out of the demolished throne room…

… or maybe less.

Shouts of rage pursued them down the corridors.

"Go!" Jack yelled when he saw Carter hesitate. Turning, he squeezed off a few shots back the way they had come, hoping to delay the pursuit. If they'd have had more time, he would have seriously considered setting some C4. History be dammed, it was all going to wind up as ruins anyway.

Getting outside was an advantage, it gave them more space to manoeuvre… but there were more people to hurt. The whole town seemed to have come out to watch. His injury slowing him down, Jack found himself dropping further and further back until there were a sea of people between himself and his team. Hathor's Jaffa were gaining on him.

XOXOXO

It took Sam several precious seconds to realise that they'd lost contact with General O'Neill. She glanced back over her shoulder to see Teal'c and Daniel following her, and immediately noticed that one man was missing.

"The General's down!" she yelled as she started to head back towards him.

Whatever happened, Sam wasn't about to leave him here. Getting to him however…

Sam would never have made it if something hadn't sent the crowd scattering in all directions. In the fear and the panic of their escape, she'd managed to forget that there was more than one Jack O'Neill here. Above her, the time ship was coming into land and the confusion it caused was enough for her to reach her General's side.

Down he might have been but O'Neill was far from out. Lying on his stomach, he was still shooting at the Jaffa who were attempting to prevent their escape. Without a word, Sam dropped to her knees beside him, raising her own weapon in support.

"You have to get out of here, Carter," he said in what was almost a conversational tone.

"We all will," Sam reassured him.

"No… no we won't."

"Sir…"

It was only then that she actually looked at him.

It was only then that she noticed the blood.

He offered her a tired smile, almost as if he'd accepted that this was the way it was meant to be. For the first time in her professional career, Sam faltered, just for a moment before the anger kicked in. She didn't know which ones of the bastards had done it but there were a dozen Jaffa in her field of vision and she was determined to take out every snake-loving one of them. She didn't even notice the other man come to her side.

"Get her out of here," General O'Neill said.

"And you?" a matching voice asked.

Sam didn't stop firing. If the other one wanted her out of here then he was going to have to drag her out by her ankles, and risk getting himself shot in the process. But that was the thing… the one thing he knew that she wouldn't do. When he stepped into her line of fire Sam had no choice but to look at him and the pride in his eyes was her undoing.

'Don't make me do this', she wanted to tell him but he wasn't about to give her the choice.

"It's an order, Carter," he said gently.

She hated herself as she let the other O'Neill drag her to her feet and towards the time ship. The wounded General was still fighting, but Sam couldn't help noticing that his aim was less true and the hands that held the P90 were losing their strength. In one last act of defiance, Sam took her spare ammo clip and tucked it into the fallen man's vest.

One look at the expression on her face was enough for Daniel to give up the co-pilot's chair as Sam finally boarded the ship. She didn't want to see the General die, not exactly she just… it wasn't a feeling that she could really explain. The last time he had made her leave had been in Antarctica and they'd been snatched from the jaws of death. She knew that wasn't going to happen this time, but as the ship rose into the air she caught a last glimpse of the brave man and was able to raise her hand in tribute.

"You okay?" the other O'Neill asked.

Sam nodded. She wasn't about to lose control, not now, not in front of him. Daniel was asking questions that Sam couldn't answer. He would never understand why she had left their friend behind.

"Take us home," she ordered.

To his credit, this O'Neill knew better than to argue.

"Area 51?" he asked.

"Not unless you want you friends to get sick," Sam replied.

They would be returning to her world and not his. From what Vala had told her, the future had not been made… at least not yet. Sam wasn't clear on what had made the difference or why their world had avoided the invasion, but she intended to find out.

"They need to be someplace safe," she went on.

O'Neill glanced over his shoulder, as if weighing up his options.

"1969," he said finally, "It was a good year."

Sam didn't smile. There was a momentary sense of dislocation as the ship transcended time and the light shifted from dawn to dusk… quickly followed by an indignant voice from the back of the ship,

"What the hell happened to my pants?"

She looked back to see a most indignant Cameron Mitchell standing behind her, trying to cover himself up. Vala was also awake and had the biggest grin on her face.

"Anyone want this?" she asked holding up the ZPM.


	21. Chapter 21

Not knowing exactly what to expect, Jack took the long route back to Area 51. Flying over the Earth was enough to convince him that this wasn't home. He could see the cities, but no lights, no vehicles moving in the streets.

Glancing over at Carter, he raised an eyebrow hoping that she would explain it to him but she was looking in the opposite direction… as she'd been doing ever since they'd lifted off. It looked as if she'd decided to blame him for leaving his counterpart behind … which was fair enough when he thought about it. Since Daniel was also giving him evil looks, it seemed to be a fair explanation for her behaviour. Jack couldn't find it in his heart to blame them.

Mitchell and Vala hadn't been happy at being dumped in 1969… or thereabouts, but Jack had refused to listen to their arguments. They were safe there and not a whole lot else mattered to Jack.

"Not long now," he said wanting to get somebody… anybody talking to him.

No one replied, so he set the coordinates anyway.

This wasn't how Jack had wanted this to end. They were all acting like they'd never seen him die before. Okay, so maybe he hadn't pulled of the trick as many times as Daniel had but even so… Jack was tired. There had been some damn good reasons for taking that job in Washington and the most pressing had been that he was getting too old for this.

Two days in the jungle heat with no food and minimal water would take its toll on anyone. Add to that being zatted by his counterpart and having spent the best part of another day wandering around trying to find the time ship and Jack wasn't really in the mood for the silent treatment. He'd just saved their collective asses, for crying out loud…

Jack wanted to go home. He wanted a pizza, a beer and a hot shower… none of which he was going to get anytime soon. Right now he was still telling himself that there was a way back to his future. Delusional? Maybe? But he had to believe that he would get home otherwise what was the point? Flying over the US strengthened his resolution. He had to stop this happening to his world. The only problem was that he didn't know how.

Bringing the ship down towards Area 51 Jack was relieved to see some signs of life. People walked between the buildings and he thought he caught a glimpse of a group of children playing some kind of ball game. The human race wasn't quite finished, but Jack didn't want to believe that this was all that was left.

One of the kids spotted the returning ship and waved up at them. Without thinking, Jack returned the gesture. It seemed right, even if he had no idea who the child was.

On landing, Jack pretended to be busy with the ship's systems, and let the others disembark first. He didn't know exactly what he was supposed to do. Did they want him to pretend to be the other man? By the time he'd climbed out of the ship the familiar faces had vanished. He stood there for a moment, unsure of where he was supposed to go until he felt a tug on his pants. Looking down he saw the little girl who had waved at him, she was holding out her arms. Glad that someone was actually pleased to see him, Jack picked her up and started to carry her towards the nearest building.

"Jack!" a voice called out.

He turned to see who was shouting at him but it was a struggle to keep the shock from registering on his face, when he saw the wheelchair.

"Is Daniel back too?" Vala asked him, her voice unusually eager.

"Yeah, he's here. He's okay," Jack replied, not knowing quite where to look.

Jack knew that he was way out of his depth. Setting the little girl down, he walked away. He needed to find somewhere quiet, somewhere that he could his head together.

Then he was going to find Carter.

XOXOXO

Sam stared at the ZPM without really looking at it. At the back of her mind, she realised that it was stupid to be trying to work when she was this tired, but being here helped calm her troubled soul. Even though she now had the means to contact Atlantis Sam knew that their mission to find the box, such as it was, had failed.

She poked at the ZPM with a screwdriver for a few moments wondering how exactly she was going to manage to create an interface between that and her makeshift Stargate.

Sam had to admit that she was still trying to figure out exactly what had happened and why the other Jack O'Neill had been there in the first place. Vala had suggested that it had all been Sam's idea, but there was no explanation as to why. Somehow, some way, Sam realised that she must have jumped from one timeline to another.

It was at times like this that she really missed having someone telling her what to do. She had one shot. This gate wasn't capable of dialling multiple destinations. If she didn't dial Atlantis, then who…

"The Asgard," O'Neill's voice supplied.

He was leaning against the doorpost. How long he'd been there, Sam couldn't tell. She hadn't realised that she was being watched.

"What?" Sam asked, trying to hide her discomfort.

"You were just wondering who you should dial using that gizmo."

"Why the Asgard?"

"Because that's what you do do."

"I do do?"

Sam shook her head trying not to smile.

"It's why I'm here," he added, quietly. "You're the one who changes the future, Carter."

"Well we tried that, you died and nothing's changed."

Exhaustion and grief were fuelling her anger. She wasn't really in an emotional state to listen to anyone right now, but O'Neill… being O'Neill… didn't let that stop him.

"You bring us a warning. It's not enough to stop the box being opened but we have the situation under control."

"Sir…" she began and stopped. Somehow, she couldn't think of him that way. Her O'Neill, her sir was dead.

"Call me Jack if it'll make this easier," he suggested.

"Jack, I don't know how long this is going to take. It might be months…"

"You'll work it out."

His faith in her was flattering but Sam hoped that it wasn't misplaced and that he didn't expect her to provide him with a way home. Passing a weary hand across her eyes, Sam turned her attention back to the ZPM. There was little chance of her solving this tonight.

"I need to get some sleep," she muttered.

"Really?" Jack said, raising an eyebrow at her uncharacteristic behaviour.

It was all heartbreakingly familiar.

"Don't," she snapped at him.

"Carter…"

"Just don't… please."

He took the hint and moved away from her. Picking up a reel of wire, he started to twist it in his hands. Sam realised that he wasn't about to leave and that she was the one who was going to have to walk away.

"Your quarters are along the corridor, third on the left," she told him.

"Didn't that used to be Maybourne's office?"

"Yes."

"Ewwwww!"

That was what he had said last time, Sam thought sadly.


	22. Chapter 22

**Two Months Later**

Most people agreed that only a crazy man would ride a motorcycle across this America.

He appeared in a cloud of dust, riding his Kawasaki straight through the creatures clustered outside the perimeter, almost as if he didn't see them.

He was delirious, unable to say where he'd been or how he had managed to get here. The man couldn't even recall his own name. It was a relief when others remembered it for him.

Major Paul Davis.

Only someone intimately connected with the Stargate program would have thought to come to Area 51, would have realised that this was the one place in the world that could still be considered safe.

Compassion, however, was to be their undoing. Their enemy had none. In the weeks that followed they never relaxed their siege. It was as if they wanted this last human outpost on Earth to disappear so they could finally have this planet to themselves.

Of course, their relentless attack could have meant something different.

They could have realised that one of their own was inside.

XOXOXO

Thor.

Jack admitted to himself that he'd never actually expected to see the little guy again. It had taken Carter almost two months to devise the interface between the ZPM and her mini-gate. It had been difficult during that time not to grow impatient at the delay.

Inaction had never been easy for him. It was one of the reasons he had hated being a General so much. Yes, he admitted it now, being the Man had sounded good on paper but the reality had been wearing him down… a trap, from which there had been no escape. In some ways, Jack was glad that this had happened. It had given him the chance to be himself again. The sentiment however, was one that he didn't dare share with his companions. He doubted that they would see that anything good could possibly come from the destruction of their world.

The past few weeks had been desperate. Food supplies had been running low and although the time ship allowed them a certain amount of mobility, Jack had found that the situation was the same everywhere. Without the ability to cultivate the land, the human race was slowly but surely starving to death.

Every time that he went out into the world at large, he found his resolve strengthening.

Every time he came back, he wondered how he could be so hard hearted.

Carter … Sam was going to die.

He stood back and watched as she spoke to Thor, earnestly arguing their position. The Asgard, naturally, weren't too keen on their plan. Jack couldn't help wondering if part of the reason was the fact that the Tau'ri were no longer considered to be a serious ally… or a threat. They no longer had anything to offer.

Jack found himself wandering away from the negotiations, to a place where he could gaze out on the Earth below. He was reluctant to take part because he knew the consequences if the Asgard did accede to their request. Time was fragile. Somehow, Jack knew that this was the moment where he could save her life. Looking down at the Earth, he tried to focus his mind on the millions who were dead.

But then he remembered the little girl who had greeted him upon his arrival. How every day she pushed a toy into his hand and made him play with her. She'd be better off living a normal life, with normal parents, but the realisation wasn't making this any easier for him.

Suddenly becoming aware that the voices had died away, Jack turned to see that Sam was the only other person in the room.

"They're going to think about it," she said.

Her arms were wrapped around her body, hugging herself and Jack couldn't remember the last time he'd seen her this close to tears whilst on duty. She wanted this so badly, he realised. Knowing Sam, she probably didn't even take her own life into consideration.

"I'll go talk to them," he said.

She smiled her thanks before turning to the window and staring out the Earth.

The corridors of the Asgard ship were familiar and Jack had a pretty good idea of where Thor might be hiding himself, especially as he was likely to have gone running off to talk to the little grey guys in charge.

Sure enough, when Jack found him, Thor was standing in the centre of the holographic field, talking to thin air. Without hesitation, Jack joined the alien and he immediately found himself transported to 'Asgard High Command'. An unspecified number of aliens surrounded him with the three members of the Asgard Council sitting directly ahead. Jack waved at them.

"Hi guys… long time."

They didn't appear to be particularly amused by his levity or the fact he had gatecrashed their party... so Jack cut to the chase.

"I'm just here to remind you guys about a race called the Replicators and how we saved your little grey butts."

"We did not ask you to change history," one of the aliens replied. He sat in the centre of the trio and Jack assumed that this was because he outranked the others.

"True, but you were willing to go to any lengths to save your race. Am I right?" Jack argued. "That's all we're trying to do. This isn't the way it's supposed to end, not for us. We should be out there in the galaxy again, fighting the bad guys."

"The Tau'ri are responsible for unleashing the Ori on the galaxy."

"Maybe… but we got rid of the Goa'uld and that has to count for something… doesn't it? And how do you know that the Ori wouldn't have come here anyway. Sooner or later they would have looked beyond the boundaries of their own galaxy. If we were responsible then at least give us the chance to rectify our mistake."

The three council members looked at each other and Jack had the feeling that they were communicating in a way that he couldn't hope to comprehend.

"We were hoping that this would end another way," the one in the middle said.

"Huh?" Jack asked more confused than ever.

"The Asgard are a dying race," Thor said. "Our final attempt to correct our gene degeneration has failed."

"I'm sorry," Jack said and he meant it.

"We were hoping that the Tau'ri would continue our legacy," the chief Asgard added, "and we had prepared a gift."

"Gifts are good. We like gifts. Especially if they're wrapped… a nice bow or something…"

Jack was aware that he was babbling, but he was running out of things to say. He couldn't imagine a Universe without the Asgard. Thor had given no indication as to how long his people had, but in his gut, Jack felt that time was short.

"Maybe… maybe if we change things we can buy you some more time?" he suggested.

"No," Thor said. "That is not our way."

"If you were going to give us they stuff anyway…"

"But, by your own admission you are unable to use the technology we offer. The Fifth Race is dead."

They were arguing in circles and Jack didn't know what else he could possibly say.

"Please," he began. "We're your children; give us the chance to grow up."

XOXOXO

"What did they say?" Sam asked as Jack returned.

He held out his hand in reply, showing her a time device that was far smaller than it had any right to be. It fit into the palm of his hand.

"I think these guys have been holding out on us," he joked.

Sam detected the note of angst in his voice but chose to ignore it. She took the device from him and turned it over in her hands. How had they managed to do this, she wondered.

"Ready to go home?" Jack asked.

"Where's Thor?"

"He's… uh… indisposed. Said we should go back by ourselves."

"But how does this work? How…?"

"Carter!"

Sam closed her mouth. If she didn't know better, she would have sworn that he was upset about something.

"Let's just go," he said.

"Yes, sir," she replied automatically and then mentally kicked herself for the slip. She hadn't called him sir for months.

Luckily, it didn't seem like Jack had noticed. Sam turned her attention back to the device in her hands. She didn't really fancy the idea of taking this apart to find out how it worked. Asgard technology was notoriously difficult to put back together again.

It seemed that Jack was really in a hurry to get away from here, because the next thing she knew, Sam was standing on the surface of the Earth back inside the compound at Area 51. She'd taken several steps towards the building that housed her lab before she realised that Jack wasn't following her. He was still standing where they had materialised, staring at the sky.

Sam looked up in time to see the remnants of the explosion. Thor's ship?

She found herself going back to Jack, looking to him for an explanation. His head bowed, Sam swore she could see tears on his cheeks.

"They're all gone," he whispered.

"Jack?"

"They were dying. I guess… I guess they thought it was easier this way."

Not knowing what to say, Sam slipped her hand into his, trying to offer some slight comfort. For this moment, the differences between this Jack and the other one didn't seem so great. She was somewhat surprised therefore when he tore his hand from her grasp and walked away. Sam stood there for a moment, wondering whether she should go after him or not. For some reason she didn't think it was just the demise of the Asgard that was bothering him.

Looking down at the device now clutched in her hand, she wondered if there was something else about this mission that was worrying him. Try as she might, Sam couldn't think what that something might be. Jack would be getting his nice safe world back, what else could he possibly want?

As for the rest of them…

Sam didn't know the answer to that question.

All the elation she had felt upon getting hold of the Asgard technology was fading. Sam had the feeling that the worst was yet to come. How they used this device was important as the when. Sam knew that she would be the one to deliver the warning but Jack hadn't given them any more details. He had his reasons, she supposed.

But the time for secrets had passed. History had spoken.

They were going to do this.

XOXOXO

There were certain constants with Jack O'Neill's moods, Daniel realised. Most of the time he wasn't actually angry or in a bad mood. He'd watch as Jack tore himself away from Sam and knew that the aggression was nothing more than a smokescreen for the fact that his friend was upset about something. Of course getting Jack to talk was like blood and the proverbial stone. A cliché? Maybe. But very close to the truth and Daniel felt that he had to try.

Daniel didn't follow immediately. That was one of the things about handling Jack O'Neill, you had to let him calm down first and give him time to think. It wasn't as if he could go far and it was after dark before Daniel sought out his friend.

Jack was sitting close to the edge of the compound, staring up at the stars. With a slight grunt, Daniel sat down beside him.

"Knees?" Jack asked.

"Uh… yeah… how did you know?"

"You're getting old Danny boy."

That was true enough. Sometimes Daniel found it hard to believe that he was getting perilously close to the big 40. Then his knees would crack or his ankle would ache and he was forced to remember that he wasn't a young man anymore.

The two men were silent for a while. Daniel wished he could make sense of the view over their heads. Although he had travelled amongst the stars, he had never taken that much notice of them.

"So… do you think this will work?" he ventured eventually.

"What will work?" Jack replied.

"This whole time changing thing."

"I'm here aren't I?"

"Yes but that doesn't necessarily mean that we do this. I mean your presence here could be a paradox and…"

"Ahhhhh… quit talking like Carter!"

The tone of his voice suggested to Daniel that Jack didn't actually have a problem with Sam. So what was it? Maybe over a couple of beers, Jack might have been persuaded to spill his guts but that release wasn't available.

"Did something happen… in your timeline?" Daniel tried again.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing… I was just asking."

"Well don't. Everyone's fine. You, Teal'c … everyone."

Daniel gave up. This wasn't going exactly the way he had planned. He should really go and check on Vala just in case she'd decided to get independent again.

"I'll see you later," he said, scrambling to his feet.

"Daniel," Jack's voice stopped him as he started to walk away.

"What?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

There was a pause and Daniel knew that Jack was struggling to find the right words. He waited in silence until his friend chose to speak again.

"When you went Ancient, how did you cope with not being able to do stuff?"

"You mean interfere?"

"Yeah."

"I didn't. That was one of the reasons that they kicked me out."

"No… I meant that time when I was… you know… with Baal."

Daniel closed his eyes, recalling how hard it had been.

"It nearly killed me," Daniel admitted.

"You were dead already."

"I know."

He was getting close Daniel was sure about that.

"What happened?" he prompted, gently.

Jack took a deep breath.

"It works," he began, "the whole Asgard time thing. Carter delivers the warning and…"

 "And?"

"And then I watch her die."


	23. Chapter 23

It had been the possibility of finding some useful alien technology that had prompted Paul Davis to head for Area 51. He'd had no idea that he would find the last stronghold of the human race. Upon reflection, he realised that if anyone could have survived the destruction of the SGC it would have been SG1.

He had been sent away from Washington on the President's orders. When the commander in chief had requested a scout, Davis had been the first in line to volunteer. Courage had little to do with his decision. The truth was that he couldn't bear the thought of spending the rest of his life trapped in a bunker.

He'd used a number of vehicles during his trip across the United States and he admitted that the motorcycle had been an indulgence. His ex-girlfriend had refused point blank to let him own one… sometimes he wondered what had happened to her… how she had died. There was no point in speculating about whether loved ones were still alive; his trip had taught him that.

Missions to the main population centres had turned up nothing. Even isolated settlements seemed deserted. From his own experiences, Davis suspected that the world leaders had survived. Trapped beneath the ground, he knew they were trying to best to make believe that they still ruled the planet. Their vanity was all that they had left.

There had been times over the past few weeks that Davis had thought that he had accidentally stepped through the Stargate and ended up on a different planet. He'd stuck to the back roads but the creatures seemed to be everywhere. Davis shivered at the memory… one of them had almost killed him. Luckily, it had hit the Kevlar on his leather jacket otherwise he would have found himself an incubator for hundreds of larvae.

He didn't remember much about his dramatic arrival. The rigours of his journey had left him sick and delirious. It had been all he could do to stick on the bike and keep it pointed in the right direction. He wondered now if the distraction hadn't worked to his advantage. His goal in sight, Davis hadn't really cared that there were a sea of creatures between himself and sanctuary. Vaguely aware that others were rushing to his aid he'd opened the throttle and ridden straight.

In retrospect, it had been a dumb thing to do, but he'd emerged relatively unscathed. Most of his time in the makeshift infirmary had been spent recovering from malnutrition and dehydration.

Major Paul Davis just thought that he'd been lucky.

XOXOXO

Teal'c listened to his friends' arguments with a faint air of amusement. Humans, he noticed, wasted a great amount of time trying to change the things that they could not. Perhaps he was more fortunate than they were. Teal'c knew where his destiny lay.

The discussion was becoming tiresome.

It had been almost a year since he had seen the vision in the jungle and he had pondered the mystery many times. Since their return from the past, and their successful attempt to contact the Asgard, he had become convinced that he was destined to accompany O'Neill and Colonel Carter on their mission. He stood firm as they tried to talk him out of it. If the human race was to survive then O'Neill's past… Teal'c's future … could not be allowed to change.

He didn't have a death wish… far from it. Life here, although difficult, still had its moments of wonder and triumph. But the people on Earth meant more to him than his personal safety ever could. The role the Tau'ri had played in saving his people was a debt that Teal'c felt he could never fully repay. Even though he was trapped on Earth, he took comfort in the fact that the Jaffa nation was free.

O'Neill's role in the mission was clear but the arguments arose over who was to accompany him. Daniel Jackson was particularly vocal in his opinions. Even though Colonel Carter had the most understanding of the Asgard device, Daniel Jackson seemed to think that he should be the one to deliver the warning to the future. The two of them were arguing back and forth, but, strangely enough, O'Neill seemed reluctant to join in.

Teal'c suspected that his decision had already been made. His belief was confirmed when O'Neill finally interrupted his friends.

"Carter, you're with me. Daniel you stay here and hold the fort," the man said abruptly.

Usually the tone he used usually forbade any argument, however Daniel Jackson dared to disagree.

"Jack…" he began but the other man shut him down before he had a chance to speak.

"No Daniel. This is the way it's gonna be."

"So you can save your safe, perfect world?"

"Yes… and don't tell me that you wouldn't do the same."

This wasn't their O'Neill and sometimes they forgot that this man came from another world, one that had not faced this hardship. Teal'c couldn't blame him for wanting to do everything he could to preserve it.

"You'd do that?" Daniel pushed.

"I've done it before," O'Neill replied.

The exchange left Teal'c a little baffled, and he followed O'Neill as the other man left the room.

"It's no good asking 'cause you're staying here," O'Neill said when he registered Teal'c's presence.

"I can not, O'Neill," Teal'c replied.

"Excuse me? I may not have a uniform any more but I'm still a General."

"I have reason to believe that I am destined to be a part of this mission."

"Teal'c… If you come with me you're going to die."

"Indeed." 

The confusion on O'Neill's face was almost amusing and Teal'c did not feel the need to enlighten him. He was sure that the details would work themselves out. Somehow, someway, Teal'c would travel with O'Neill and Colonel Carter.

XOXOXO

"Is it my imagination or are there more of them?"

Jack grunted in reply to Daniel's question.

He'd been standing by the perimeter fence since the meeting had broken up… as if he had nothing to do but watch the sunset. But Daniel was right about one thing, the creatures were massing around Area 51. It was almost as if they sensed that something was going to change. Jack quickly dismissed his foreboding.

"Have you told Sam?" Daniel asked, proving once again that he knew exactly what Jack was thinking about.

"No," Jack admitted.

"Don't you think she has a right to know?"

"Probably, but I don't think it would make her change her mind."

"You don't know that."

Jack just glared at his friend, not even bothering to dignify the question with an answer. To his credit, Daniel did look a little ashamed of himself as he realised how ridiculous his statement had been. The mere threat of impending death would never be enough to prevent any of them doing what was right.

He may not have understood the physics of the situation but his world was still out there somewhere, of that Jack was convinced. And it was calling him home.

"You've done the same," he said quietly.

"I know," Daniel replied.

The younger man's expression became introspective as he recalled his first contact with an alternative universe and the steps he had been forced to take. Jack knew that Daniel wouldn't have willingly left those people to die. He'd done it because there had been no other choice. It was an unpleasant fact, but sometimes you had to save your own world.

They would leave in the morning and Jack had no idea what he was going to do for the next eight hours. He'd always prided himself on his ability to sleep before a mission, and he knew that was what he should be doing now. Jack had to admit that his own future was bothering him. He knew that Carter wasn't going to make it but had not idea what his own fate would be. Somehow, it would be easier if his death was a fact and not just a possibility. At least then, he would know how to say his goodbyes. Daniel seemed intent on staying with him all night, for which Jack was strangely grateful. For perhaps the first time since he had arrived, he felt as if maybe he belonged here.

Teal'c appeared just after sunset. True to fashion, he had no false words of comfort to give, for which Jack was grateful. With Daniel sitting one side of him and Teal'c the other, he had to wonder if Carter was also going to make an appearance. Of all of his friends, she seemed to have had the most difficulty in adapting to his presence.

It was midnight when she appeared. Hair sticking up and dark circles under her eyes, Jack guessed that she had been doing the sensible thing and trying to sleep. He couldn't help smiling at her dishevelled appearance.

"You should get some rest," she told them all.

Even though she probably didn't mean them that way, Carter's words came out like and order. Jack automatically hung his head, before remembering that he was the general here. She was the last one who should be lecturing others on their sleeping habits.

"Take a load off, Carter," Jack told her.

Teal'c shuffled to one side but she hesitated before sitting down in the space he had made for her. Jack wasn't usually one for motivational speeches. He usually let his own actions provide the catalyst for binding his team. Tonight was different.

"It's going to work, you know," he began. "The other's… where I come from… even if we don't survive, we'll give them the chance to work this out."

"If they can," Carter replied.

"I trust you Carter. Always have, always will."

She bowed her head a little and Jack wondered if she was hiding a blush.

"And there's always Atlantis," Daniel added. "Sooner or later they'll come back."

That was true enough. They may have been ordered to stay away but if Jack knew Shepherd, eventually he'd persuade Weir to mount a mission to their home planet. Jack just hoped they'd find something worth saving.

"The Jaffa nation will not forget," Teal'c said. "My people will write the history of the Tau'ri across the stars."

"Thanks T," Jack replied, trying to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. The Jaffa's words weren't particularly comforting if you weren't another Jaffa.

Jack realised that this was all getting a little maudlin.

"Carter… do you by any chance have any beer in this place?"

XOXOXO

"I know," was all Sam said when she hugged Daniel goodbye.

He looked at her, somewhat surprised.

"How?" he questioned.

"I've known Jack long enough to realise when he's hiding something."

"He should have told you."

Sam shook her head.

"It's easier this way."

Daniel clearly didn't understand, and Sam wasn't sure that she expected him to. The complexities of the relationship between herself and General O'Neill weren't really comprehensible to anyone… not even themselves. If she and Jack had had 'that' conversation then she knew it would have led to something else. Awkward gestures, words half-spoken… silences. Neither of them could afford that kind of distraction. They both preferred to feign ignorance. Sometimes denial was the best way to get the job done.

Despite herself, Sam clung to Daniel for a long time. He had really been her first friend in the Stargate program and she hated the thought of leaving him behind.

"Take care," she whispered.

There was nothing he could say in reply and all Sam had left to do was walk away.

Her path towards the time ship took her close to the perimeter fence. She found herself pausing for a moment and looking out across the sea of creatures. The sight was enough to send a shiver up her spine. Every now and then, one of them would throw itself against the force field only to be knocked back. They never used to do that, she realised as she watched … at least not on purpose. Every time one fell back it uttered an inhuman scream, but no one knew for certain if they were capable of feeling any pain. Whatever the reason for their change in behaviour, Sam didn't have the inclination to find out why. In a few hours, none of this would matter. The thought should have been a comforting one but it only served to make her feel sick.

Despite her convictions, Sam's footsteps slowed as she approached the time ship. Jack and Teal'c were waiting. They both turned away as she drew closer, pretending to be deep in conversation and giving her a last minute to look around. But Sam found that she didn't want to. She couldn't afford any more moments of introspection.

Outside the perimeter, the screams were getting louder and Sam found her gaze drawn back the way she had come. The creatures seemed to be working themselves up into a frenzy. Sam couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen. Instinctively, she glanced towards the shed that housed the naquadah generator… then she started running towards it.

"Carter!" Jack yelled after her but Sam didn't stop. All she had seen was a dark shape in the doorway but, deep in her gut, she realised that something was about to go very, very wrong. She could hear Jack pounding along behind her, whether to stop her or to help her, Sam wasn't sure. It didn't matter Sam was going to get there first.

Too late.

The door had been ripped off its hinges. Even though she knew it was useless, Sam pulled out her sidearm, emptying the clip into the creature. She didn't know what she hoped to do. Slow it down? There was little chance of that. Annoy it? Make it attack her rather than the one thing that was protecting them all.

If she could get close enough, she could kill it and the only way to do that was to make it attack. But it wasn't to be so easily distracted. It didn't even look her way. As Sam watched, it ripped the naquadah generator from its housing.

Outside the force field failed.

Sam was ready to attack it with her bare hands, but someone got in the way. A strong arm around her waist, pulling her away. For one crazy moment, Sam fought against him.

"Time to go, Carter," Jack yelled in her ear, dragging her back to reality.

He was practically carrying her as they stumbled out of the shed. Realising that there was no longer a barrier, the creatures surged forward. Jack didn't waste time or ammunition with pointless bravado. He headed straight for the time ship. Sam tried to block out the sound of human shouts and the rattle of automatic weapons as the people tried to defend their home. Daniel rushed past, barely taking any notice of them. They'd had an evacuation plan, but she realised that it was up to him to implement it. Sam had tears running down her face when she boarded the ship. She was grateful for the fact that Jack and Teal'c chose not to take notice. This wasn't the time for comfort.

The ship was shaking as it took off. Looking out of the window Sam could see creatures swarming over it. They had to get rid of them before they could risk making the time jump. Jack swung the ship around sharply and Sam was gratified to see several of the creatures fall to the ground.

"We clear?" he asked.

"Yes," Sam replied.

"Then let's go."

Jack didn't even bother to gain altitude before activating the time machine. One moment Sam was staring down at the besieged base and the next at unblemished desert.

"How far back?" she questioned.

"I figured five thousand years should do it."

It seemed crazy, going back in time only to go forward again, but she knew that the Ancient time travel device wasn't accurate enough for small jumps. That was why they had needed the Asgard technology. It wouldn't take long for them to reach Washington…or make that the place where Washington would be. Once there Sam would set up the time compression field, the same apparatus that had once been used on the replicators. She hoped that, this time, the results wouldn't be quite so disastrous. From her perspective, a few seconds would pass whilst outside the field millennia rolled by.

Sam closed her eyes, hoping to get a few minutes rest, but her mind refused to switch off. She was trying to work out what else could possibly go wrong. Far too soon for her liking, Jack was guiding the ship down through the clouds. A green and bountiful land appeared below. It didn't look that much different, Sam realised and it was difficult to believe that there was nothing there to hurt them.

"You okay?" he asked softly.

"I will be," Sam replied.

He was asking if she was still all right to continue with the mission. Given the personal stake he had in this, she couldn't really blame him. Sam certainly had no plans to let him down. The ship landed and Jack opened the rear door. For all of three seconds Sam thought that this might actually work, that she might actually survive this. Then she stepped outside.

It was there.

Sam's brain refused to function. Unable to cope with the reality of what she was seeing, she found herself routed to the spot watching as the creature walked towards her. There was something delicate about its movements. It seemed to place one foot in front of the other with exaggerate care. She knew from bitter experience that the weapon she clasped in her hand would have little effect. Sam knew that… but it seemed that Jack didn't.

The gunfire was enough to distract the creature and, upon reflection, Sam wondered if that hadn't been his aim all along. It turned from her and attacked Jack. With a deft slash of its front legs, it seemed to cut him from neck to waist.

Even though she knew that there was nothing she could do, Sam started towards him.

"Carter go!" he screamed.

XOXOXO

Teal'c barely had time to move before he saw O'Neill go down. The creature quickly turned its attention to Colonel Carter. If she were to have any chance of succeeding in her mission, Teal'c knew that he had to intervene. Having no effective weapon to hand, he could only rely on one thing … his own brute strength. It was at times like this that he missed his larval Goa'uld. He knew that he would only be able to slow the creature down… and that was an optimistic assessment.

With a yell, he launched himself at the creature and crashed into it with enough momentum to tip it onto its back. He grabbed it, wrapping his arms around its body as it struggled to right itself. Slowly, Teal'c started to count. It thrashed within his arms but Teal'c held firm. He knew there was a limit to how long he could hold the creature but the longer he did so, the further Colonel Carter could run.

One, two, three…

How fast could she run? Teal'c could already feel his muscles burning. For the moment, he could ignore the pain.

Ten, eleven, twelve…

Muscles tore, but still he held on.

Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen.

Not enough, not nearly enough. Teal'c heard the snap of bone but it took him several precious seconds to realise that his left arm was hanging useless by his side and that the creature was free. He staggered backwards, falling against the hull of the puddle jumper as the creature reared over him. Teal'c barely felt its fangs graze his flesh. He struggled to his feet, wanting more than anything to find the strength to go after it but his legs refused to cooperate. He knew the poison was already seeping through his tissues.

He wasn't about to die… not yet. Foreknowledge told him that he still had time. The place of his passing was ordained and Teal'c knew that Jack was the only one who could take him there. The other man was unconscious, but Teal'c could see that the wound on his chest was superficial. There was blood, but not so much of it to be life threatening.

"O'Neill!" Teal'c hissed, fighting the urge to should at his companion. The creature could still be out there somewhere and he knew that they would never survive another attack. O'Neill did not stir and Teal'c forced his injured body to move to the other man's side. He prodded O'Neill with his foot, gently at first but with enough frequency to cause the other man to wake from his stupor. His hand shot out, grabbing Teal'c by the ankle.

"Enough already," he complained. "I'm awake."

He then made the mistake of looking down. Teal'c had seldom seen Jack O'Neill panic, but the sight of so much of his own blood was enough to make anyone lose their self-control. O'Neill clutched at his chest, as if trying to pull the torn flesh back together.

"Crap!" he swore at the blood that drenched his hands. "Carter?"

"I believe that Colonel Carter managed to escape."

"Teal'c… you're hurt."

"Indeed… as are you."

"It's just a scratch… give me a hand here."

Offering his right hand, Teal'c pulled O'Neill to his feet. He could tell that the man was reluctant to leave, not without some assurance that Colonel Carter had managed to complete her part of the mission. But such a guarantee was not forthcoming. Since neither of them was in any condition to find out, the only thing they could do was leave.

Somehow, it felt like they had lost the battle... and maybe the war.

As they took off, Teal'c found himself straining to look back across the forest, trying to catch a glimpse of Colonel Carter. Teal'c noticed that O'Neill's piloting skills were becoming increasingly erratic. When the puddle jumper made the time jump there was a definite shudder where usually there was a smooth transition. Teal'c glanced across and wondered if he was the only one who was destined to die.

They were travelling high and fast. One look at the continent below was enough to tell Teal'c that they had returned to the future. Judging by the movement he could see on the roads below this Earth had escaped devastation. He allowed himself a small smile. It appeared as if Colonel Carter had been successful.

"T… I'm not feeling so good here," O'Neill admitted. "I think I might…"

The man slumped forward in his seat. In any other circumstances, Teal'c would have been more than capable of taking over, but the controls of this craft were forbidden to him. His only other alternative was to waken his friend.

"O'Neill!" he shouted, hoping that shear noise would be enough to rouse the man.

The ship was rapidly losing height. If something weren't done to correct the flight path, they would both die in the crash. It was vaguely stupid Teal'c realised to care so much about how he was going to die, but somehow he felt that it was important.

"O'Neill!" he yelled again, punctuating his shouts by shaking his friend until his none too gentle ministrations were enough to rouse the man.

"What!" O'Neill came around with a start looking decidedly unhappy until he noticed how close the ground was.

Teal'c remained silent as O'Neill struggled with the controls of the craft. There was no way that he could prevent the crash, Teal'c realised. The only thing left to do was to lessen the impact. He seemed to be struggling to remain conscious but he managed to pull the nose up a little, presenting a better aspect to the rapidly approaching ground. O'Neill was oblivious again by the time they hit the trees.

This wasn't Teal'c's first crash. In fact, it was his thirty-second. And once again his overwhelming impression was one of light and heat and noise.

And pain.

He couldn't forget the pain as he staggered away from the crash site.

Instinct was driving him to keep his appointment. He'd only waited long enough to check that O'Neill was still alive… It was only now that Teal'c realised that he should have called for help.

Now it was too late.

Teal'c wasn't sure how far he'd come. All he knew was that it was dark and he was cold… far too cold. He stopped for a moment, trying to gather what remained of his failing strength. At some level, he'd hoped that he might recognise where he was, but the darkened jungle was completely unfamiliar.

And then he smelt the smoke.

He remembered that night, sat around the fire with his friends… before the world went to hell. Pushing himself away from the support of a tree, he staggered onwards. He knew he was making a lot of noise; blood loss had robbed him of all dexterity. Time seemed to slow to a crawl and for a while and Teal'c thought that he wouldn't make it. When he finally staggered into the clearing, he almost shed tears of joy.

Facing himself was easier than he expected. There was a certain feeling of triumph as he realised that he had met his destiny. Teal'c allowed himself a smile, as his body pitched forward. All control had fled along with the knowledge that he had attained his goal.

His war was over.

His battle won.

Time to die.


	24. Chapter 24

It had been three days since General O'Neill had left.

Three whole days and Sam was very disappointed to find that she missed him. Somehow this was all so much easier when he was simply in a different state. The bonds that held the original SG-1 together were subtle and complex. Knowing that one of her teammates was beyond her ability to render aid was more distracting than she could have possibly imagined.

Being left behind wasn't easy and Sam was finding that she didn't like it very much. At least Daniel had the translation to work on … not that he seemed to be having much success. Whatever language had been inscribed on the box, it wasn't one that her friend was familiar with and until Daniel cracked the code, there wasn't a whole lot for Sam to do.

Usually she would have been quite happy working on her own projects, but somehow her mind refused to settle. The news from Area 51 wasn't good. They were holding firm, but only just. The soldier in Sam wanted to be out there on the frontlines. Instead, she was stuck inside the mountain and forced to play a waiting game.

She wanted to deny the fact that she was worried about General O'Neill. She couldn't help feeling that he should have been back by now. He had a time machine. Technically speaking, he could have returned before he'd left and Sam couldn't shake the feeling that something had gone badly wrong. So much so, that when the phone finally rang, she hesitated before answering it.

"Carter," she snapped a little more forcefully than she meant to.

There was silence before a voice replied,

"It's me."

"Sir? Where are you?"

"Guatemala."

"What?" 

"Long story short… they say I can come home."

"Sir?"

"Just arrange the transport will you? I promise to tell you all about it when I get back."

"What about Cam and Vala? Are they with you?"

There was a pause at the other end of the phone before he replied,

"Kind of."

Sam waited, but it was obvious that he wasn't going to say anymore, a personality trait that Sam had long learned to accept.

"I'll see you soon, sir," she sighed, ending the conversation. He'd be here soon so the mystery would wait until he got home.

XOXOXO

Daniel Jackson couldn't remember the last time he'd been this frustrated. His office, usually a scene of mild clutter, looked as if the garbage man had just run through it. The alien text was officially driving him nuts. The script was so damn familiar and he wondered if that wasn't part of the problem. It just didn't do what he expected it to do… say what he expected it to say. He tried everything, every dialect, and every permutation that he could think of and still the words made no sense. Something was missing, from the box, from his brain, Daniel wasn't sure which. Even though he felt that it was probably a waste of time, he began to gather up the photographs of the text.

He was going to have to start again.

This was his fifth new approach and Daniel's customary enthusiasm had left him around breakfast time. As he started to spread the photos out again, he wondered if he was actually doing anything different this time. Surely in some order, from some angle, these things would start to make sense. Daniel took off his glasses, letting everything blur out of focus. Picking up the first photo, he held it close to his face bringing the symbols into sharp relief. What the hell was he missing?

"Daniel?"

Daniel had to count to ten before replying. Under normal circumstances, he would have welcomed Sam's interruption, but he was just too tired to answer with anything other than a grunt. A Styrofoam cup containing coffee appeared under his nose and Daniel glanced at her briefly before returning to his intense contemplation of the photograph. At least she knew better than to ask him how it was going.

"General O'Neill's back," she announced.

He could hear the disappointment in her voice, not for the fact that their friend had returned safely but from the realisation that his mission must have failed.

"Briefing?" Daniel asked.

"As soon as he's finished with Dr. Lam," Sam replied.

Daniel looked at his photographs and then back at Sam. It seemed like he'd just about run out of time. Jack would want answers. Whilst Daniel might have been able to spin Landry a line, he knew that Jack wouldn't take any bullshit. He would want a yes or a no. Neither were answers that Daniel was prepared to give. Asking for more time wasn't possible. He would have to come up with something… however impossible or bizarre.

He reckoned that he had about twenty minutes, even if you included walking really slowly to the briefing room and taking the stairs. Both of which he did in his efforts to have a revelation. Even stopping by the commissary didn't help… he only ended with mashed potato on his precious photographs.

"You've looked better," was all he was able to say when he finally saw Jack.

It wasn't subtle, but it was the truth. Two black eyes did little for the man's features. He moved stiffly, with the slight hesitation that Daniel had learned to signify that his friend was in a great amount of pain. But he knew better than to draw attention to the fact. Daniel guessed that a fair amount of lying had gone on during Jack's medical.

Taking a seat next to Teal'c, Daniel shuffled his papers once more. There was a deep despairing silence. No one seemed willing to talk.

"Jack?" Landry prompted.

Jack made his report in clipped dispassionate tones. He told them how they'd found the ZPM, the trip back in time, meeting the other SG-1 and finally why it had all gone so badly wrong.

"The box wasn't there," he said.

Daniel looked up. He'd assumed that there had to be some other reason for the failure of the mission.

"How could that be?" he demanded. "Were you…"

"Looking in the right place? Yeah. I can read a map as well as you can Daniel and that pyramid … pretty damn hard to miss. Besides, by all accounts, you were the one who actually went looking for it"

There was more than physical pain in his friend's voice. Daniel noticed Sam's hand twitch; she also wanted to reach out to him.

"So I dropped Vala and Mitchell off in the '60's and took SG-1 back to that other timeline… We made contact with the Asgard, and… you know the rest."

The other Carter. The one still lying in the morgue. The circle was complete but they were no closer to breaking free.

The box hadn't been there, somehow that fact bothered Daniel more than it should. There were all kinds of reasons why. Nick's notes had mentioned nothing about it either, which didn't make sense unless it had been a fairly recent addition to the site. Carbon dating could vouch for the fact that it was not.

Conversation continued around him, as he found his attention drawn back to the photographs. The few parts he had managed to translate, he had discounted because hadn't made sense. He'd assumed that he had made a mistake but now he was looking at them again and wondering…

His fingers traced the words 'seventh world'. The Myan's believed that the Earth had been created several times with each world lasting just over five thousand years. Currently they were in the fourth world, close to the fifth. Daniel checked the photo. There were a string of symbols that he had assumed to be akin to a long count date... non-repeating, base-20... counting days rather than months or years.

It didn't add up. He picked up another photograph, placing it next to the first. Another number… what if it were a distance date? The number of days it described were staggering. They added up to a year far beyond the 21st century.

Daniel had his revelation.

If the box wasn't in the past then maybe the future would hold the answers?

"I think we should go forward," he said, quietly.

"What?" Jack demanded.

"I think that's where we'll find it."

"Daniel…" Sam began, and he had the feeling that she was about to tell him that his suggestion was impossible.

"Why not?" He challenged her. "It's not in the past. What other option do we have?"

This was the answer, he was sure of it. But there was another problem...

"Did you not crash the time ship, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked.

"Yeah and unless Carter can convert a DeLorean…" Jack said.

"Wait a second, sir," Sam argued. "The other SG-1 … their ship should still be there."

Daniel wasn't even going to ask how she had come to that conclusion. He guessed it had something to do with timelines, causality and... Sometimes it was just easier to accept these things as fact.

"In the jungle? Won't it be buried by now?" He questioned.

"Yes, but a satellite sweep should find it. That is if the power source is still active."

"I'll get on it," Landry said, "You're all dismissed."

XOXOXO

"Maybe it was surrounded by some kind of anti-entropic field… maybe it wasn't in our universe at all…"

Carter was babbling, and Jack was trying not to listen. He already had a headache and he didn't want to make it worse.

"Then how did I manage to pick it up?" Daniel asked.

"Unless you disrupted the field in some way?"

"I took one of the stones. Nick's diary mentioned them but he never said how many."

They would probably be discussing this for hours but Jack had better things to do. Sleep for one. Take a hot shower without worrying how much water he was going to use. Eat. The last decent meal he'd had had been three days and six months ago. He knew there would only be a limited amount of time before they were sent out to save the world again.

For once, he wished that he could go back to his lonely flat in Washington. At least it was quiet. At least he could kick back, grab a beer, watch the Simpsons if he wanted. Here, the best he would be able to manage was a VIP suite and hope that he could get a few hours uninterrupted sleep. His time sense was now so screwed that he wasn't even sure that it was dark outside.

"Sir?"

A hand on his arm brought him back to the here and now. He looked down at Carter.

"Sorry, must have zoned out for a moment there," he smiled at her.

She and Daniel shared a worried glance. They knew something wasn't right, Jack realised. His report had covered the bare bones, and they could read between the lines better than anyone.

"What do you say we grab Teal'c and go get something to eat?" Daniel suggested.

This was probably an evil plot to wheedle out what had happened to him, but Jack found that he didn't care.

"I could go for that… Carter?"

"That would be nice, sir."

"Great… I'll meet you topside."

They'd never really had many team nights, even when they were still a team. Sure, they'd tried, but other stuff tended to get in the way. Sometimes he'd wondered if they just had nothing in common outside of work, tonight, however, was different. They ate, they talked and when they all found themselves back at the SGC, Jack didn't feel quite so disconnected from this reality. None of them had much to drink. It would have been dumb since they could have been called out at any time.

"Pulling an all nighter?" Jack found himself asking Carter as she walked him towards his quarters.

He knew he should be reprimanding her, but as far as Jack was concerned, that was now Landry's job.

"No sir," she shook her head, "I'm just going to make sure everything is shut down for the night and then hit the hay."

Jack raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not going to solve this problem overnight," she sighed

"You've changed, Carter."

"We both have"

"Older… maybe not that much wiser but…"

The smile he offered her was half-hearted. Carter refused to meet his eyes and Jack found himself turning away.

"I'll see you at breakfast," he said.

He'd taken two steps into his room before realising that she hadn't left. Looking at her, Jack saw that she had a particularly determined expression on her face … the kind of expression she usually reserved for a math problem. She followed him into the room and shut the door.

"What?" he demanded.

"Sir… if you want to talk," she ventured.

Daniel must have put her up to this Jack decided and momentarily cursed his friend.

"What do you want me to say?" he questioned

"I just thought that talking might help."

"When have we ever talked about anything, Carter? Talking's not what we do."

"We could try?"

Jack closed his eyes. He didn't know where to start.

"It all played out exactly as it was supposed to," he said softly.

"Including the part where I die?"

"Yeah."

He sat down on the bed, lying back so that all he had to look at was the grey ceiling.

"I didn't tell her," he admitted. "How it was all going to turn out, I mean. I just sat back and let her die… I let all of them die"

"What happened?" Carter asked, her voice soft.

"We were just about to leave and the shield around the base failed… they got in. I should have stayed behind and helped them fight but I didn't. I just high-tailed it out of there…"

"Sir, you made a difficult decision."

"To save my own skin?"

"Could you have won?"

"Won what?"

"A battle against those things."

"Probably not, but that doesn't make me feel any better."

Not even Carter being here was enough to shake his black mood. Jack knew himself well enough to realise that he needed to be left alone right now. She'd gotten the information she'd come for. If he said any more he'd end up doing or saying something that they'd both regret. Jack stood up.

"You should go," he told her, "get some sleep."

"Yes sir," Carter replied, acknowledging the trace of an order in his tone. She turned towards the door but hesitated before leaving.

"For what it's worth, I'm glad you came back," she said.

"I know, Carter… I know."

Jack was too good a soldier not to be able to force his body to rest when it needed it. However, waking up the following morning wasn't a pleasant experience. The shrill ring of the phone seemed to pierce through his skull, making his head pound. It didn't help that someone had snuck in during the night and poured sand into his eyes… at least that was what it felt like.

"O'Neill," he mumbled into the mouthpiece.

"We found it, Sir," Carter's voice told him. "The other timeship."

There was nothing perky about the tone of her voice, which prompted him to ask,

"What is it, Carter? What happened?"

"The creatures… they've broken out of Area 51."


	25. Chapter 25

Daniel almost wept when he saw what had become of the ancient city. The one thing the USAF couldn't be accused of was finesse and they'd certainly attacked this task with extreme lack of said attribute. They'd torn the jungle apart in their efforts to get to the time ship and irretrievably damaged the archaeological site at the same time. He knew it was necessary and in the grand scheme of things, it probably didn't matter anyway but Daniel still felt that twinge of anger when he surveyed the destruction.

But the ship was there and it seemed undamaged. Even so, they were forced to wait whilst Sam went over it with the physicist equivalent of a fine toothcomb. And Jack wasn't the only one to be frustrated by the delay. Every moment they stayed here was another moment when the creatures could breed and kill.

"Carter?" Jack questioned yet again.

Daniel found himself phasing out their agitated conversation. He dug into his pack, took out a book and tried to lose himself in familiar words and phrases. For once it wasn't working. Daniel didn't know why he'd brought it along. Force of habit, probably. A historical text was hardly likely to be any use on this mission.

"Shouldn't be much longer," Jack's voice said as the man sat down beside Daniel. "Carter's just got to check the… thing."

"The thing?"

"Yeah the… okay so I wasn't exactly listening. I swear that she gets less comprehensible with age."

"Yours or hers?"

"Funny."

"I thought so."

But Daniel didn't feel much like laughing and he realised that Jack wasn't the only one who was getting old. Somehow, this had seemed so much easier ten years ago.

"What was it like, Jack?"

"What?"

"The other place, the other us."

Jack paused before answering.

"All I know for sure is that we have to stop it happening here."

Daniel nodded, he couldn't argue with Jack's words. He had seldom seen his friend so shaken and he knew whatever he had seen, it had to be bad. His eyes, Daniel noticed, were drawn to Sam. Did he think that he was going to lose her too?

The future would be like visiting an alien world. They would have nothing to help them. The books Daniel had brought along would be next to useless. They had no idea what twists and turns civlization might have taken. Who knew if the human race would still be there to greet them? It felt like the biggest step they had ever taken.

The Sun was setting by the time Sam had the ship ready.

"Is it okay, sir?" she asked as Jack took the controls.

"I guess we're about to find out," he answered.

As far as Daniel was concerned, nothing felt any different, but Jack didn't seem to be too happy. He was shifting in his chair, as if he was trying to get comfortable.

"Tell me again, when are we going?" Jack asked.

"Ten thousand years," Daniel supplied.

"Nice round number... Okay... here we go."

The ship rose upwards with barely a shudder and the sky rapidly giving way to stars. Looking over, Daniel saw Jack's eyes were closed in concentration. The constellations hadn't changed.

"Sir?" Sam questioned. "Is there something wrong?"

"Don't know," Jack replied, "I don't think I can..."

His mental stress was evident as the ship shook around them. It felt like both were about to fall apart. Daniel found himself wondering how deep the connection between Jack and this craft actually went. Something was stopping him from making the transition and it wasn't just a mental block.

Leaving her seat, Sam darted to the back of the ship, her first instinct was to try and fix whatever was wrong.

"Try it now!" she shouted after several nervous minutes. The ship stopped shaking.

Whether Jack did anything different or not, Daniel couldn't tell but he swore he felt a subtle dislocation... just before the lights went out and the ship dropped from the sky.

XOXOXO

General Landry bowed his head as he returned the red phone to its cradle, wondering exactly what he had just done. Phone calls form the President of the United States weren't uncommon, not for a man in his position, but they seldom caused Landry to question his own decisions. Everything had been fine whilst he had been talking only now, in the silence, did he have regrets.

Regrets would get him nowhere.

This was tactical, he told himself. They had to stop the creatures. Civilian casualties would be minimized… But a certain area of Nevada would remain barren for centuries.

The President's call had been a formality, nothing more. He had just wanted some kind of reassurance with regards to the severity of the threat. Information, that Landry had been only to happy to supply so why was he wondering if he'd made the right call?

Innocent people were going to die, and that was always a difficult choice for any soldier. Landry had balanced the needs of the planet, he had done everything he was supposed to do but he still felt like he'd personally pushed the button

Seemingly without conscious thought, he reached for his other phone, the grey one, the one that didn't have the connection with the leader of a nation. Landry dialled an internal number.

"Lam," the voice at the other end answered.

"It's me," was all Landry said

"Something I can do for you sir?" she said

He hesitated, just for the briefest moment but it was enough for her to say,

"Dad?"

"Nothing," he replied, "wrong number."


	26. Chapter 26

Teal'c awoke to darkness and it took him several seconds to realise that he was in the back of the ship and the forward bulkhead was shut. He lay there for a second trying to recall exactly how he had ended up there. There had been some kind of malfunction and Colonel Carter had left her seat to try and effect repairs. Moving his head, Teal'c could see her limp form sprawled at the back of the cabin, blood staining her bright hair. Daniel Jackson was lying next to her, struggling to rise.

Shaking off the disorientation, Teal'c felt his mind start to clear. Something had hit them causing the cabin to lose pressure and O'Neill had ordered them all aft whist he tried to control the ship's descent. He had been the one to shut the bulkhead and Teal'c could only conclude that his friend was trapped in the front portion of the craft.

But Teal'c did not have the time to worry about his friend's whereabouts as his body suddenly seemed to register the fact that it was wet. The hull had been breached by the impact and water was swirling about his feet . Three of them were definitely alive.

Teal'c hauled Daniel Jackson up by pure brute force. The other man was looking about himself wildly, no doubt wondering if there were any place in the small compartment that O'Neill could have hidden.

"We must leave," Teal'c urged.

Together, the two of them staggered towards the rear doors, knowing once they were open the ship would sink like the proverbial stone. Teal'c slammed his hand down on the emergency release...

Nothing happened.

It had taken him many years but he was finally starting to understand the human term called irony. The doors would not open and the one person who could effect a repair was currently unconcious. Ironic indeed.

"Sam, Sam... come on. You've got to help us out here."

Crouched down by his friend's side, Daniel Jackson was attempting to gain a response. Teal'c turned his attention back to the door controls. The facia was cracked and he wondered if it wasn't simply contact with water that had shorted out the controls. Pulling the rest of the cover off was a simple matter, but Teal'c found himself hesitating when faced with the maze of fibre optics within. Ancient technology was sufficiently different from Goa'uld to cause him some confusion. Although he could see the damaged area he was at a loss for a moment as to how to effect a repair.

"Anything I can do?" Daniel asked, temporarily abandoning his efforts to rouse Colonel Carter.

"You can not," Teal'c replied.

Reaching up, Teal'c ripped off the panel above his head, revealing several cables similar to those responsible for operating the door. At that moment he didn't particularly care what damage he might be doing to the other systems. Stripping out some of the fibre optics, he set about replacing the damaged ones.

The water had now reached his ankles. Glancing over, Teal'c could see Daniel Jackson was holding Colonel Carter's head out of the water.

"Come on Sam," Daniel was whispering, "Give us some help here."

It was a sentiment that Teal'c agreed with. His fingers were more used to wielding a staff weapon than a screwdriver and this work required a certain amount of delicacy. It wasn't long before he was sweating profusely, the moisture making his fingers slip on the delicate fibres.

"Is it my imagination or is it getting hot in here?" Daniel said.

Teal'c raised an eyebrow in reply. Humans often felt the need to state the obvious. The ship had no power, therefore the air recycling system had ceased to function. Water was flooding in the cracks in the hull. No air was getting in... no air was getting out.

Yes, the temperature was definitely rising, but Teal'c didn't find it necessary to comment on the matter.

And he suspected that he might have just irreparably damaged the system by ripping out the control fibres. If he didn't get the door open then they would probably suffocate before they drowned... which wasn't particularly reassuring. Given the choice, Teal'c would rather take a bullet to the head, however, he doubted that Daniel Jackson would appreciate the honour.

Teal'c's world had narrowed to the fibres in his hands. He tuned everything else out as, once again, he tried to make the connection. Once more his fingers slipped.

"Do you want me to try?" Daniel asked

"No!" Teal'c replied.

Bracing his hands against the bulkhead, Teal'c took a deep breath as he tried to centre himself. Anger would not help. Carefully, he wiped his fingers on his T-shirt. He closed his eyes, trying to calm his mind and his body. He hoped that Daniel Jackson wouldn't chose this moment to make another pointless enquiry into his health.

But Daniel had chosen this moment to stop talking and start staring... which Teal'c found was just as annoying. Yet the moment of distraction proved to be fortuitous. Whilst his attention was elsewhere, his fingers unwittingly made the connection and the rear doors opened.

Blue skies, yellow sands, a gentle breeze... Teal'c could see the beach and at any other time he would have thought himself in paradise. Any time when he wasn't in a spacecraft that was rapidly sinking beneath the ocean.

"What about Jack?" Daniel demanded, but both men knew, in their hearts that it was already too late for their friend.

"O'Neill!" Teal'c yelled, hoping for some response from the front of the ship, some sign that Jack O'Neill was alive.

There was nothing and they had no choice but to save themselves. As he plunged into the the water, Teal'c realised that the ship was more badly damaged than he'd realised, the entire front section was missing.

Between them, he and Daniel manoeuvred Colonel Carter's limp form out of the space craft. The cold water shocked her back to some vague form of consciousness and she made some attempt to strike out away from the sinking craft but Teal'c could tell that she was not capable of making the long swim to the shore. Ignoring her feeble protests he started to tow her in the direction of the beach.

He did not look back to see the ship sink beneath the waves.

XOXOXO

A mouthful of sand and a blinding headache... it wasn't the most pleasant awakening. The pain was enough to make Sam want to lie very very still, preferably whilst some cute doctor attended to her every whim. However, she had the feeling that the nearest doctor, cute or otherwise, was a very long way away.

The sun on her back was blazing hot and she could feel the prickle of sunburn on her exposed skin... both facts seemed to suggest that she had been lying there for quite some time, but she had no recollection of leaving the shuttle. Stifling a groan, Sam rolled onto her back and tried to gain some sense of the world she now found herself in. As soon as she did so she became aware of someone crouching beside her, a gentle arm beneath her shoulders as a hand held a flask of water to her lips.

Sam recognised the touch... but it wasn't the one she hoped for.

She managed to choke some of the water down before she asked the question that was burning through her mind,

"Where's General O'Neill?"

Teal'c, like Daniel was hovering close by, blocking her view and Sam had to stop herself pushing them out of the way. Surely O'Neill was close by? Maybe he'd just gone to check the perimeter?

"Sir?" she heard herself call.

What was the matter with her? She was shrieking like some untrained rookie. They could be anywhere... any when... who knew what was lurking in the bushes. She had to get a grip.

"Sam...," Daniel began, but she already realised that it was bad news. "We couldn't get him out."

Struggling to her feet, she staggered to the water's edge. Looking out across the ocean, Sam tried to judge where the shuttle had gone down, how deep the water was, how much air could have been trapped in the cabin ... her mind trying to calculate a hundred different variables.

... trying to find a way that General O'Neill was still alive.

He must have remained conscious long enough to stop the ship burning up on re-entry and to set her down even if it had been on the water. There had to be a reason why he had shut them away in the back of the ship and knowing O'Neill it would have been for their own protection.

Sometimes... sometimes the man was a damn fool.

For a brief moment her eyes scanned the shoreline, but the only thing washed up on the beach was seaweed.

"We didn't have time," she heard Daniel say. "The ship was going down and we couldn't get the doors open. If there had been any sign..."

"I know Daniel... I know," Sam replied before she resolutely turned her back on the waves.

"We should get off the beach," she said.

It wasn't much of a plan, but Daniel and Teal'c both followed as she started to walk. If nothing else they needed to find somewhere less exposed, food, a source of fresh water... and not necessarily in that order.

Sam had no idea what part of the Earth they had managed to crash on. Everything had happened so fast that she doubted there had been much choice involved. There wasn't much to see. The trees stopped where the sand started blocking much of the view inland. Shading her eyes against the glare of the sun, Sam could see the outline of mountains rising above the forest.

They could be anywhere. Hell they could walk around the corner and find themselves in a holiday resort... but somehow Sam didn't think so. This didn't feel like the Earth she knew. It wasn't a sensation that she could define, something about the quality of the silence that surrounded them was unnerving.

As she started to push her way through the trees she noticed that the vegetation too was... different. General O'Neill would have accused her of thinking too much.

She was already thinking of him in the past tense. Dead. Gone. Moved on. There was something very wrong about that. Her chest tightened and the breath caught her throat before she remembered exactly why she couldn't let herself feel anything at all. It was easier that way.

Walking helped, being able to concentrate on the physical need to put one foot in front of the other and keep pushing on until her body couldn't take any more. If she'd have been alone, she would have kept going until she fell into an exhausted sleep, but she'd figured without Daniel and Teal'c. They both seemed to have been infected with some strange brand of chivalry and insisted on calling a halt when it got dark.

For half an hour she busied herself giving orders, Daniel was sent to get water, Teal'c to find wood for a fire. They were on Earth and Sam had to assume that at least some of the surrounding vegetation was edible. There didn't seem to be any animal life... any animal worth catching and eating that was. As a Sam watched a spider crawl across the ground she wondered if they wouldn't be reduced to eating bugs.

Sam wasn't inclined to sleep. Every time she closed her eyes all she could see was General O'Neill dying.

XOXOXO

Daniel could have sworn that he hadn't shut his eyes and was surprised when he was woken from a deep sleep by the sound of something pushing it's way through the undergrowth. A few years ago he might have been tempted to shout out, but time had taught him prudence. Like his companions, he found himself melting back into the undergrowth, waiting to see who was about to enter the clearing.

He knew who he wanted it to be.

Even though the logical part of his brain realised that regrets were futile, Daniel couldn't help going through events in his mind. He wondered if there would ever be a way that he could totally convince himself that there had been not recourse but to leave Jack behind. Glancing across the clearing, he could just about make out Sam's blonde hair through the undergrowth. She, of all of them, could relax in the knowledge that she was innocent. But knowing Sam she wouldn't think that being unconscious was a good enough excuse.

Another rustle and Daniel found himself hard pressed to work out which direction the noise was coming from. This place was so quiet that sound could travel a fair distance. There was no reason to assume that whoever... or whatever it was was close by... that was until he saw the movement in the bushes. In that moment, Daniel realised that whatever was out there wasn't human.

Sam's gasp mirrored his own as they saw the creature for the first time. He'd looked at blurry satellite photos from Area 51, but nothing had prepared him for seeing one in the flesh. Daniel couldn't help the uncharacteristic rush of hatred as he stared at the thing that had been responsible for destroying his world. Small consolation, but at least he knew that he'd been right to direct them here and maybe... just maybe, Jack's sacrifice hadn't been in vain.

It paused in the clearing, raising its head as it seemed to taste the air. Daniel knew without a doubt that it had caught their scent. He tensed, expecting it to attack , to kill without mercy but to his surprise it started to back away.

It knew they were there, he was sure of that much even if he couldn't interpret its behaviour. Daniel was well aware of the danger of anthropomorphising these creatures but he almost thought that it was scared of them.

Awkwardly it turned and started to move back into the undergrowth. Daniel almost wished that it had attacked. At least then they might have been able to kill the thing. If it was dead then he d know where it was. He didn't relish the though of going back to sleep knowing the creature was out there ... maybe with its friends.

"I think we should get out of here," Sam said as they crept out of their hiding places.

Daniel couldn't have agreed more. Without speaking, they gathered their paltry collection of belongings together and headed out of the clearing. Walking through the unfamiliar terrain had been hard enough whilst the Sun was up, now they couldn't help but move slowly, alert for any sound. This was the stuff of childhood nightmares; a boogeyman was hiding behind every tree.

They kept heading towards the mountains. Daniel knew that Sam wanted to get out of the forest and gain the advantage of higher ground. It was easier to fight if you could see the enemy coming. Even if they found a reasonably defensible position he couldn't help worrying about what would happen next. Short term survival wasn't a problem but in the long term... Dismissing the dark thoughts, Daniel tried to concentrate on following the others. They were alive, that was the important thing. While there's life there's hope, he told himself, smiling when he realized what Jack would have said of the cliché.

More of the creatures appeared with sunrise and it became difficult to make any kind of headway. The mountains seemed tantalizingly close but Daniel had done enough walking to realize that the distance was deceiving. By his estimation they had at least another day's travelling. More, if they were forced to go into hiding every few minutes. He still found it difficult to believe that the creatures didn't realize that they were there. Hungry, tired, their pace dropped even further but no one even considered stopping.


	27. Chapter 27

The flash was blinding. Jack threw his hands up to cover his eyes but to no avail. When he opened them all he could see was the afterglow and they were hurtling through the atmosphere at a speed he didn't even want to consider.

"Colonel Carter is injured!" he heard Teal'c call out.

"Look after her!" Jack ordered.

"Daniel?"

"I'm okay," his friend replied.

Good, that was good. Fumbling slightly, Jack put his hands back on the controls. He didn't need his eyes to land this thing ... all he had to do was think about it. It was going to be fine, absolutely fine. Their downward plunge even seemed to slow slightly.

"Jack look out!" Daniel's shout was enough to make Jack wrench the controls to one side but he wasn't fast enough to prevent the collision. There was the terrible crunch of twisted metal and the ship spun itself around. Jack could feel a rush of air on his face.

"We're losing pressure! Get aft!" he ordered.

The scramble of feet told him that Daniel was following his orders and Jack closed the bulkhead sealing his friends in the rear of the craft.

The crash seemed inevitable. Try as he might Jack couldn't keep the ship on an even keel. He quickly realized that he needed to get them back to their own time. At least then they would have a chance of rescue. There was no guarantee that this future Earth was even inhabitable. Jack screwed his eyes shut out of habit, trying to maintain some semblance of concentration. But it was hard to remain focused. It was either that or the time device had stopped working completely. Struggling with the controls, Jack pulled the nose of the ship up. He was hoping for a soft landing, trees or water maybe. With most of the Eath's surface covered in liquid he reckoned they had a pretty good chance, even so the ship hit the surface before he was ready.

The cabin was immediately flooded with cold water. Even as he went under, Jack shouted to his team, but all he achieved was a mouthful of salt water. It took him several anxious moments to realize that he was sinking along with the fore section of the ship. Lungs straining, his fingers already numb with cold, he struggled to free himself from the seat restraints before striking for the surface. The sensation of hot Sun on his face was almost beautiful.

"Carter! Daniel! Teal'c!" he yelled as soon as he had enough breath to do so.

There was no reply. He flailed about himself, trying to find bodies in the water. The rear section of the ship had retained its integrity so it should have been floating on the surface nearby. Jack started to swim in the direction he thought it might before quickly realizing the futility of his actions. This was useless.

The sensation of the wind on his face and the way the waves were buffeting his body, suggested that he wasn't far from the shoreline. He just had no idea in which direction it lay. Turning around he tried to make some sense of his blurred vision. He couldn't just float there forever. In the end he had little choice but to pick a direction and hope that he was swimming in a relatively straight line.

Jack had always considered himself a strong swimmer but there was something soul destroying about this. He had no way to know how long he had been swimming or how much further he had to go … assuming he was anywhere near the shoreline.

Every so often he would attempt to put his feet down and find the bottom but all he managed was to sink beneath the waves. His body ached. Even though he had been questioning his physical fitness, Jack realized that he shouldn't have gotten this tire this quickly. The crash must have shaken him up more than he realized. Forced to stop and rest, he floated on the surface of the water for a while. The Sun was now directly overhead, burning his skin with its ferocity. And he was thirsty. Trying not to give into the urge to sleep, Jack let the waves gently rock his body. His strokes were definitely weaker when his seeking feet finally found the ocean floor. Thanking whatever gods might be out there Jack stumbled ashore and let himself collapse on the shingles.

It felt like the softest of beds and again he had to stop himself sleeping. He realised that he wasn't that much safer here than he had been in the water. Okay so he wasn't in danger of drowning anymore but he was still defenseless. The flash blindness would clear, he knew that, but the thought wasn't much comfort in his present situation. Jack had no desire to wind up as someone's lunch. As pointless deaths went it was in his top ten. His one happy thought was that, if he had made it to shore then his friends could have done as well. He refused to let himself think otherwise.

It was only as his breathing and heart beat returned to normal that Jack realized he wasn't alone. His ears were working just fine and there was definitely something close by. He could hear the scrabble of feet on the stones. Jack knew it wasn't his friends.

"Hello?" he ventured.

There was no point in even trying to run away. His visitor stopped. Jack sat there for a moment, waiting for it to move again so he could judge the direction. There was a hesitant step towards him.

"No offence but I could use a little help here."

He opened his hands, trying to show whoever it was that he wasn't dangerous.

"If you could just take me to your leader?"

His visitor certainly wasn't big on conversation. And, although it didn't seem to want to come closer, neither was it moving away. Slowly, carefully, Jack got to his feet. He took a step, tripped and crashed head long onto the stones.

"Ah ... crap," were his last words as he lost consciousness.

XOXOXO

There were hundreds of them. Looking down into the valley below, Teal'c wondered how they had managed to multiply so fast in the few hours that darkness had afforded them.

Turning to look at his companions Teal'c wondered if he should awaken them. Since the creatures below showed no inclination to climb the slopes of the mountain, he decided to leave his friends to rest. They were high enough that they would have plenty of warning of any attack. Both Daniel Jackson and Colonel Carter had slept soundly since their arrival at the mountain cave whilst Teal'c had taken it upon himself to watch over them. He was also tired, but he was better able to ignore fatigue than his companions. When they were sufficiently rested, he would take his turn.

They had walked for almost two days before reaching this safe haven and Teal'c knew that they were all reaching the end of their strength. Here, at least, they had shelter and water. He suspected they would have to venture down to the valley in order to procure food, and he had no idea how that would be achieved. As he continued to watch the creatures, Teal'c realized that they never appeared to rest.

The cave was halfway up a mountain. If the Sun hadn't been setting when they arrived, he doubted that they would ever have found it. High enough that Teal'c had felt a definite drop in temperature. Whilst the nights they had spent down below had been warm and muggy, up here it was almost chilly. If they had to stay here for an extended period of time then they would need more than shared body heat to ward off the cold. Looking down he could see the steep slope they had climbed the night before. Scree gave way to rough grass and finally to trees. Even now he found himself wondering exactly how they had managed it. Above them the incline was even steeper, leading to the top of the mountain. Later that day Teal'c would climb the rest of the way, just to see what lay over the top.

"Teal'c?" Colonel Carter's whispered tones broke into his thoughts.

Turning he saw her one her feet, rubbing sleep out of her eyes and trying to smooth out her short blonde hair. He found himself smiling slightly at the picture she presented.

"Why didn't you wake me?" she asked.

"There was no need," he replied.

"Even you need to sleep."

"I will do so when it is appropriate."

"Teal'c ... "

"Look." He turned her attention to the activity in the valley below.

"My God," she breathed as she surveyed the valley. "They're everywhere. If the rest of the planet is like this ... "

Teal'c nodded. If this was the fate that awaited the Earth then he could not conceive of anything they could do here to change its fate. Daniel Jackson had seemed convinced that the answer to fighting the infestation lay in the future, but it did not appear to be the case. The creatures were as prevalent here as they would become during their own time if left unchecked. Of the human race there was no sign. It was as if the Tau'ri had never existed. Survival of the fittest, Teal'c thought to himself grimly. Humans had been supplanted by the superior species.

"Keep an eye on them," Colonel Carter ordered as she went to wake Daniel Jackson.

"It almost looks like they're waiting for something," Daniel Jackson's voice said when he was roused.

"Indeed."

"I wonder if they know we're up here?"

"Then why don't they attack?" Carter said.

It was a question that no one could answer. They didn't know enough about the behaviour of these things. As the Sun rose higher in the sky Teal'c became aware of something else, a low thrumming in the air. Turning his head, he couldn't seem to pinpoint the direction. It was almost as if the sound was coming from the Earth itself.

"Look!" Colonel Carter said pointing towards the horizon.

Narrowing his eyes, Teal'c could just about make out the craft flying out of the Sun. It was some kind of shuttle, he guessed, barely larger than the ship that had brought them here. Together the three remaining members of SG-1 left the relative safety of the cave and attempted to attract its attention. They had no idea whether the occupants were friend or foe but the ship represented civilization ... warmth, food, companionship; all things that this cave could not offer.

Whoever was piloting the small craft, they must have had good eyesight. The ship was still some distance away when it changed direction and headed towards them. It circled once before flying towards the relatively flat area at the top of the mountain.

"Come on," Carter ordered, leading the way up the treacherous slope.

It was only as they started to climb that Teal'c realized how much the previous days force march had taken out of him. He could feel the fatigue in his legs and arms as he scrambled up the slope. The loose rocks beneath his feet did not help. For every step he took forward he seemed to slide back three. And yet the summit was tantalizingly close. Looking up he could see a figure standing silhouetted against the sky.

"Move it people!" a woman's voice cried out. "You have about three minutes before this place is dust!"

The tone in her voice was enough to spur them all to greater efforts. With a final great effort, Teal'c charged to the summit. But they had no time to recover as the woman urged them all into the ship.

"Strap yourselves in!" she ordered.

Yet she barely gave them time to follow her command before the ship took off and headed for the open sky.

"You're lucky I always do a final sweep," she shouted over her shoulder as she expertly guided the small craft.

"Why? What's going to happen?" Daniel Jackson asked.

The words were hardly out of his mouth before the ship shook under the force of something. To Teal'c it felt like his teeth were being shaken out of his head.

"What the hell was that?" Colonel Carter demanded.

Looking over her shoulder the woman gave them a puzzled glance.

"How can you not know?" she asked.

"We're strangers in these parts," Daniel Jackson admitted.

"I'll show you." She turned the ship back the way they had come.

Portholes in the side afforded a view of the land below and Teal'c turned his head to look in the direction the woman had indicated. The valley he had been looking down on that morning was devastated. The trees and vegetation had been flattened. Nothing moved in the place the creatures had been gathered.

Teal'c could see their corpses, littered on the ground like lumps of black coal. It was a sobering sight. The human race had obviously learnt how to vanquish its enemies but one look at his companions faces and Teal'c knew that they felt as he did. They were also wondering if such destruction was necessary. Were there such scars all over the planet? How long had this war been going on? Given the scale of the death below, why had it not yet been won?


	28. Chapter 28

When Jack came round it took him several moments to realize that he was no longer on the beach. His eyes felt a little better. Sore, but he could make out patches of light and dark. Carefully he touched his face, wincing when he felt the extent of the burns around his eyes. He was no longer lying on stones. There was something far softer beneath his back. He quickly realized that it was nothing more than dried grass and fallen leaves. Although he could tell that it was daylight, he had no idea how much time had passed since his dramatic crash and collapse on the beach. Judging by the stiffness in his muscles, he guessed that it couldn't have been more than twenty four hours at most. The Sun was still overhead, but there was something shading him from its ferocious glare. He was still hungry and thirsty. He wondered if whoever had moved him had also thought to cater for feeding him.

"Hello?" he called out.

Almost immediately there was a scuffling sound and the next thing he knew a dark shape was leaning over him.

"Any chance of some water?" he asked.

The shape disappeared. Moving carefully, Jack sat up and mentally added a headache to his catalog of aches and pains. The last time he had felt this bad had been after his first Whitehouse reception. The President and the First Lady certainly knew how to throw a party. The fact that Jack had been a little careless with the open bar was probably best forgotten.

Moving his head around, Jack tried to analyse the pattern of shapes around him. A lot of them were moving so he figured that whoever had rescued him, there was more than one of them. He had no idea whether they were human or not. Before he knew it his rescuer was back and something was nudged into his hands. It felt like a crude wooden bowl of some kind which Jack raised to his lips. The water had a dull, earthy taste but at least it wasn't salty. He really wasn't in a position to be fussy about what he ate and drank. As soon as he had finished with the water he felt something dropped in his lap. Taking object between his fingers, Jack smelt it carefully. It was some kind of fruit. He took a small bite. It tasted like some kind of mango.

"Thank you," he said when he had finished.

He thought about standing up, but any such ideas were quickly quashed as he was gently but firmly pushed back down.

"Okay, I'll sleep some more ... if that's what you want."

Jack wasn't about to argue. Now he thought about it another five minutes wouldn't be unwelcome. The next time he awoke it was dark. This time food and water were placed before him without his asking for it. Again Jack was grateful for it ... even though he didn't like to think what the all fruit diet would be doing to his digestive system. This time he tried to question his rescuer,

"I had some friends," he began. "Others like me. They would have come out of the water too."

There was a great deal of chattering, but if the words were a language, it wasn't one that Jack recognized.

"They might be hurt," he went on.

He sensed a general movement in his vicinity and had the feeling that several of his companions had left. He hoped that it was to form a search party. Jack lay down and closed his eyes again. If he'd managed to get his message across then the rest of SG-1 would be found. Whoever these people were, they seemed to understand him even if he couldn't work out what they were saying. When he next opened his eyes, it was daylight and although everything was blurry he could definitely make out the shapes of the objects around him.

With a shout, he threw himself backwards and away from the creature that was leaning over him. He scrabbled for his gun, knocking the safety off with practiced ease.

There had to be twenty or thirty in the large clearing. Alerted by his shout of fear and had turned towards him, chattering amongst themselves. Jack had seen these things overrunning Area 51, killing his friends, he was in no mood for the softly, softly approach. It was only as he pulled the trigger that he realized that his weapon was next to useless. The exposure to salt water had just about done for the mechanism. Right now the berretta was about as useful as a pointed stick and Jack threw it away in disgust. He reached for his knife only to find it gone. Whether the creatures had relieved him of it or whether he had just lost it, he couldn't say. It didn't really matter. He was unarmed and next to helpless. Jack flopped backwards onto his makeshift bed.

He didn't want to think why these creatures had saved his life. Now he was quiet they seemed quite content to go about their daily business, whatever that might be. Lying there, Jack couldn't make much sense of their movements. Before long one of them ventured closed again, gingerly holding a bowl of water in its front pincers. Jack took it and drank.

"Thanks," he muttered when he had finished. The creature then ran some kind of feelers over his body, seemingly checking him over for injuries. It then butted its head against him. Unable to work out what else to do, Jack reached out and patted it.

"Good boy," he mumbled.

XOXOXO

Daniel immediately wished that he had chosen not to look down when the shuttle landed. There didn't seem to be anywhere for it to land, and their saviour insisted on guiding them towards what look to him like a particularly treachourous peak. Not that he was about to complain but the rocks looked very sharp and pointy.

He had thought that he had managed to conquer his fear of heights over the years ... and so he had. It was just when they crept up on him unexpectedly that he felt the phobia return.

"Daniel, are you okay?" Sam asked, gently. Her hand touching his briefly.

"Fine," he replied through gritted teeth. "I'm just going to close my eyes until we land."

"Okay."

But he didn't. Even though Daniel didn't like heights, he hated unexpectedly crashing more. If he were about to meet his maker he wanted at least a few seconds for his life to flash before his eyes. On this occasion, however, it seemed that his fears were groundless. At what seemed to be the very last second, their pilot wrenched the shuttle around and guided it into what Daniel could only describe as a hole in the rock. They landed with barely a bump.

"Remind me again why it's a bad idea to accept lifts from strangers." Daniel muttered when the ship finally came to a halt.

"Because they might just save your life," their pilot said having overheard his words.

"He doesn't like heights," Sam explained. The other woman didn't look convinced.

"Yes ... thank you for rescuing us," Daniel added, trying to sound as grateful as he actually felt.

"Come on," she grunted in reply and they followed her out of the ship and into the cave beyond.

The place was artificial and Daniel hated to think of the time and effort that had gone into the creation of this eyrie on the mountain top. Theirs wasn't the only shuttle housed here. Twenty or thirty craft lined the walls. Although the space was dimly illuminated by electronic lights, the air was frigid. He found himself gasping for breath as they walked, and he realized that the air pressure up here was probably significantly lower than it had been on the ground. Their pilot, however, didn't seem to be as adversely affected. Daniel figured that she had probably lived at these altitudes for all of her life. Now he had the chance to look at her closely, Daniel could see that she wasn't a young woman. Her thick black hair was streaked with grey and he could see the feint lines around her eyes. Her face had the thin pinched look of someone who has never had quite enough to eat. Quickening his pace, he hurried to catch up with her.

"Daniel Jackson," he introduced himself.

"Mlene Coral," she replied, then looked at the rest of SG-1 raising a questioning eyebrow.

"Uh ... Samantha Carter," Sam said, "And this is Teal'c."

Teal'c gave a characteristic half bow.

"We really are grateful for your help," Sam went on.

"What I can't understand is why you were down there?" Mlene said.

"It's a long story," Daniel said.

"Well you can save your breath and tell it to the council."

They left the hanger, walking down a long narrow passageway that led into the depths of the mountain. Daniel was almost a bursting point with questions but he sensed that Mlene wasn't really that into conversation. She took a left turning, then a right and Daniel quickly lost track of their direction. The place was a veritable maze but they were always going downwards. It got warmer as they did so, for which he was grateful. Eventually they stopped outside a large metal door.

"Wait here," Mlene told them before disappearing to their right.

"What do you think?" Sam asked when Mlene was out of earshot.

"It appears to be a most defensible position," Teal'c said.

"At least they seem to be friendly ... kind of," Daniel added.

Sam bit her lip and he could tell that she wasn't entirely happy with the situation. Probably the lack of a clear escape path had something to do with that. Not normally one to suffer from claustrophobia, Daniel didn't even want to think about the weight of rock above them. Before he could voice his concerns however, the door in front of them started to move. Whatever the mechanism, it was well maintained because the heavy slab of metal moved with barely a sound.

"This way," Mlene said as she returned.

Sam was the first to follow, but she almost caused Daniel to fall when she stopped dead in her tracks. It took him several seconds to assimilate what he was seeing. Warmth and light bathed his face, almost blinding after the dim tunnel. However, when his vision cleared there was no doubt as to what he was seeing.

A city.

A city built in a mountain.

Looking upwards he tried to work out where the light was coming from but the ceiling was out of view. Whatever technology they had it was far in advance of his own time. Daniel wasn't sure why that surprised him. If these people were the ones who had trapped the creatures in the box then they would have to be pretty advanced. What he couldn't work out was the reason why they were still using other, very destructive means to control their enemy.

A flight of stone stairs led them down into the streets. There were other people here and SG-1 drew some curious looks. Daniel doubted that they got that many visitors. Was this the last outpost of the human race, he wondered.

The people all had the air of a race that had been fighting too hard for too long. There was barely a smile to be seen and, in Daniel's opinion, very little superfluous conversation. He found himself wondering what Jack would have made of it all. He'd always had an adverse reaction to people whom he claimed had no sense of humour. Daniel found himself smiling at the memory.

The building they were led to rested towards the centre of the city. It wasn't much to look at. Square, blocky ... not unlike the rest of the architecture. Whoever had designed this place didn't have much in the way of an imagination. It was, however, somewhat larger than the surrounding buildings giving the impression of its overall importance in the hierarchy.

Daniel expected that they would have to wait some time before gaining an audience with the city's rulers however this didn't appear to be the case as they were almost hurried into the council chamber. Mlene, having discharged her responsibilities, departed as soon as they entered. She shut the large double doors behind them. There were five councilors in all; three woman and two men, all middle aged. One man was raised slightly above the others. Their leader, Daniel guessed. The councillors sat in silence, seemingly waiting for SG-1 to make the first move. Sam cleared her and made a move to step forward but one of the men spoke before she could.

"Rest easy, my friends, you are most welcome here," he said, spreading his hands in a gesture that Daniel guessed formed some kind of greeting.

"Thank you," Sam said, copying the gesture.

"It has been many years since we have had contact with those outside of our mountain. But may I ask which confederation you belong to?"

"Actually it s a little more complicated than that," Daniel said only to earn himself a glare from Sam.

He just shrugged in reply. There was no real point in hiding anything from these people. After all they would find out soon enough that they were strangers to this time.

"Your meaning?" the man asked.

"We don't actually belong to any confederacy," Sam said. "We don't belong to this world."

To Daniel's surprise the man nodded.

"There have been tales of a time when man walked amongst the stars, but that was many years ago ... before the dark times. Come, you shall tell me more." He rose from his seat and indicated that Sam should follow.

"Er ... Sam ... ," Daniel cautioned.

"Wait here," she ordered. "I won't be long."

Daniel glanced at Teal'c who raised an eyebrow in reply. He guessed that they didn't have much choice in the matter, but he felt that Sam was about to have a conversation that he would dearly have loved to be part of.

XOXOXO

"My name is Wyr," the lead councillor told Sam as they walked away from the council chamber.

Their path took them to the upper levels of the building and onto a balcony that overlooked the city. Sam was suddenly struck by how quiet everything was.

"We're very grateful for your help," Sam said.

"It is of no matter. We wondered when those we left behind would finally find reason to return to the cradle of mankind."

Sam hesitated, wondering how much she should actually tell this man. Would he believe her if she told him that they came from the past?

"Where do you come from?" she asked, "and what happened to the Earth?"

"I cannot answer the second part of you question," he replied. "When my ancestors landed here, the planet had been devastated. There was no sign of the cities that once covered the planet. Although we searched for many years we never found any records telling how or why the human race died out here. We have been able to estimate when it happened from our records. They describe the moment when our homeworld became silent and we were abandoned to the void."

"And your people?"

"We came from the stars. Our history tells of a small outpost that was established a few years before the cataclysm. Outside, on a clear night, I could show you the galaxy that we came from."

Atlantis ... he had to be talking about Atlantis. She hadn't though about what might have happened to the outpost in the Pegasus galaxy. They had been fighting a war on two fronts, replicators and Wraith. Losing their backup would have been a disaster ... and yet somehow they had survived. Score one for the tenacity of the Human race. But Wyr's words did not bode well for the world Sam had left behind. They had obviously lost their battle with the creatures.

"We could not return immediately," Wyr continued. "We had our own battles to fight and our losses were heavy. By the time the war was won, we no longer had the capability to traverse the vast distances between the galaxies in a human lifetime."

Sam couldn't help feeling a pang of remorse when she considered the loss of the Deadelus Class cruisers. She had put a lot of blood sweat and tears into the creation of those ships. Without them the people of Atlantis would have been more or less trapped in their own galaxy.

"Even when we found a power source, we could no longer contact Earth via the portals which connected our worlds."

"So you waited," Sam said.

Wyr nodded. "Yes, for many generations, but we never forgot our home and eventually we were able to sail amongst the stars once more."

"And you came back here."

They continued walking in silence as Sam tried to process everything that she had learned. Later she would be able to talk things over with Daniel and Teal'c and hopefully they could draw a few more conclusions. Sam had been hoping that Wyr would have some news of the Stargate. She had been formulating some vague plan whereby they could use a solar flare to take them home, but it sounded as if the Gate had been buried or destroyed.

"What about the creatures?" she asked.

"By the time we arrived they were already the dominant form of animal life. We have spent hundreds of years trying to clear the planet of the infestation but to no avail. They breed rapidly and are very difficult to kill. Some would have survived today's attack."

"Wow. Talk about survival of the fittest."

"The Human race is confined to the mountains and the polar ice caps. We have found that the creatures cannot function well in these places."

"Too cold?"

"We believe so."

"But why don't you just go back to Atlantis?"

"Because Earth is our home. We knew that Earth had established other outposts but you are the first to have made contact. I feel that you will have much to offer. Our technilogical advancement has been severely hampered by our current situation."

He smiled, but Sam wasn't reassured by the expression. There was something about the way he used those words that set Sam's teeth on edge. Suddenly she felt that this man would use any means necessary to regain his home world. She wondered if the other confederacies were similarly driven.

"You must be tired," Wyr said, sensing her unease. "You and your friends will be taken somewhere where you can rest. Then we can talk again."

"Thank you," Sam said.

Taking one last glance across the city, she followed Wyr back to the council chamber. She could tell that her friends, even Teal'c, were curious, the find out what she had learned. Sam shook her head, silencing Daniel before he could ask any questions. She wanted to debrief her team in private.

They were taken to an apartment in a neighbouring building. If there was one thing Sam couldn't really complain about it was the accommodations. Food and drink had been set out for them. After spending the previous night in a damp cave the sight of the bed was very welcome. She was definitely getting soft in her old age.

Having spent a large proportion of the last ten years under a mountain Sam hadn't expected to be bothered by feelings of claustrophobia. But at Cheyenne she could leave at any time and that definitely wasn't the case here. Even if she managed to find her way out of the maze of tunnels above she knew that getting down the mountain would present its own set of problems.

Filling them her friends in on what she had found out, Sam realized that the history of these people probably didn't amount to much more than what they saw here, today.

"The civilization has stagnated," Daniel put her thoughts into words.

"I don't think that we should mention the time ship," Sam said.

"Where do they think we come from?"

"One of Earth's other outposts. We might as well let them believe that."

"But the time drive has been destroyed," Teal'c added.

Teal'c always had a problem with lying, Sam recalled. She didn't think of it that way. They were just bending the truth a little.

"We don't know that for sure, Teal'c. Ancient technology is nigh on indestructible," she reminded him.

"Do you think the Stargate survived?" Daniel asked.

"If it has it will be buried under Cheyenne Mountain ... wherever that might be."

"So we're stuck here?"

"There's always a plan B ... that's what General O'Neill always said, right?"

As soon as she mentioned O'Neill's name, Sam realized that she had made a mistake. For the past few hours the pain of his death had been pushed to the back of her mind, but now it returned and for a moment she had the urge to give in. Just once she would like the chance to mourn him in the way that she wanted. She was sick of being strong.

But knowing that, Sam did what she always did and rapidly hid her grief. Daniel and Teal'c probably weren't fooled for a minute, but she wasn't doing this for them. She needed to prove to herself that she could cope without him.

"We'll look at our options tomorrow," she finished quickly. "Daniel, see if you can dig into the history of this place. Teal'c check out their defences. I want to know exactly what killed those creatures and what effect it might have on the human body. I'll talk to Wyr again."

"Do you think he knows more than he's saying?" Daniel asked.

"No," Sam shook her head, "at least I don t think so but I want to find out more about the other confederacies and the society as it stands today."

Orders given, they set about eating the meal that had been prepared for them.


	29. Chapter 29

It was several days before Jack felt strong enough to make the walk back to the beach. One of the creatures went with him. Jack wondered if it had been ordered to keep an eye on him... or if it was just curious. He was fairly certain that it was the one who had been taking care of him. It wasn't easy to tell the difference between them, but after a week living amongst them he was starting to pick up individual characteristics. He had decided to call this one Bob.

The beach was just how he had imagined it. Grey stones leading down to a grey sea. The high tide was marked by a line of seaweed. A cold wind blew in off of the water and the accompanying drizzle of rain only served to dampen Jack's spirits. He had expected something to have been washed up by now.

There was nothing that looked as if it might have come from the downed craft and… thank God… there definitely weren't any bodies. Even so, Jack combed the beach for hours, trying to find some sign that his friends had been there. Although he had no proof that they were dead, there was also no evidence to the contrary.

Bob accompanied him during his perambulations. At some level it must have understood what he was doing because every so often it would hold something up in its pincers for Jack to have a look at. Okay so all Bob managed to find were some interesting stones and some driftwood but Jack appreciated the effort. He was starting to appreciate the complexity of these creatures. Their pincers were actually quite dextrous. So much so that they could use rudimentary tools to fashion crude objects… like the bowl that Jack had drunk from. Most of what they seemed to do consisted of hitting things with sticks, but it was a start.

Taking a moment to rest before walking back to the clearing, Jack sat at the edge of the surf and skimmed a few stones across the water. Bob crouched down beside him, watching him intently. What Jack couldn't understand was why the creatures he had met here were so non-beligerent. Appearances aside, their behaviour seemed totally unlike those he had seen in the past. Perhaps this was just the wrong time of year, he wondered.

There was nothing to be seen here and Jack realised that he had wasted enough time. If he were stuck here for good then he had to make the best of it. At least Maybourne wasn't here. Funnily enough, Jack preferred the company of the bugs to that of his human nemesis.

"C'mon, Bob," he said eventually. "Time to go home."

Bob scuttled on ahead, seemingly eager to return to his companions. He probably thought that humans were boring conversationalists. Jack had observed certain hive-like aspects to their society. They definitely seemed to be divided into casts. Bob was what Jack would have thought of as a worker. He had yet to lay eyes on any 'queens'.

Even though Jack would have liked to dawdle on the way back, Bob it seemed had other ideas. He kept running on ahead and stopping to wait for Jack to catch up. Kind of like an excited dog. But Jack was sure that excitement had little to do with it. Bob almost seemed to be scared of something… or for something? Despite himself, Jack picked up the pace.

They were still a few miles from home when it happened, when the shockwave knocked Jack and Bob to the ground. Jack lay there winded for a few minutes, trying to work out why there was wet stuff running down his neck. It took him several seconds to realise that his ears were bleeding. Bob seemed to be in better shape. He flipped himself back onto his feet in no time and dashed off through the trees at speeds that Jack knew he wasn't capable of. Trying to ignore the twisting in his gut, he followed at a slower pace. He couldn't help feeling that something bad had happened.

His gut, on this occasion, proved to be right. The signs of destruction were evident well before he got back to their 'camp'. In fact, he wouldn't have recognised it as the same place if it hadn't trusted his own sense of direction… and seen the corpses.

There were hundreds of them… far more than the number who had lived in the community. And most of them were dead. Bob was already moving amongst them when Jack arrived. He seemed to be checking each and every one. Some, at the edges were moving feebly and Jack went over to see if he could help them. Some were dying. Jack didn't have to be an expert to know that much. He'd seen enough death in his time. Too much fluid loss was fatal whatever the species.

Some had broken limbs, some had lost limbs altogether. Some had lost their antennae and were blundering around the edge of the clearing, essentially blind to their surroundings.

"Bob!" Jack called out.

The creature looked up in response to his voice.

"We should go… Take those who can still walk and find someplace else."

Jack had little hope that Bob would understand him. To illustrate his point, he helped up one of the least injured creatures and coaxed it to walk with him. He turned to Bob.

"Come on. It's this way."

XOXOXO

Daniel Jackson had been in many libraries over his long and varied career but seldom had he seen one with so few books in it… one book to be precise. It sat in a vacuum sealed case in the centre of a room that was roughly the size of a football pitch. Obviously an object of great value to these people, judging by the way his guide practically burst with pride when he asked to see it.

He'd hoped that it would provide a history of the human race since they had returned to this world. He was sorely disappointed when all he saw was a very battered copy of War and Peace.

"Legend tells that this book was taken form Earth when our ancestors first gained Atlantis. It has been handed down from father to son over the millennia," he spoke in the hushed tones that Daniel had learned to associate with librarians the galaxy over.

"And you are its guardian, Jonah?" Daniel asked, trying to feign an interest.

"Such is my happy task."

The man wasn't much older than Daniel although his mannerisms suggested a greater maturity. He obviously didn't get out much.

"Do you get many visitors?" Daniel asked before he could stop himself.

"The numbers dwindle every year. The young people of today are more interested in how many bugs they can kill rather than our history."

"Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it," Daniel quoted.

"Repetitive consequences?"

"Yes… exactly."

It seemed doubtful that Jonah had read Santayana but he had quickly grasped the principle of what Daniel was trying to say.

"There must be more than this," Daniel pushed.

A society that was this advanced had to have some kind of permanent record. Surely they couldn't survive just by handing secrets down by word of mouth.

"Only recorded kill counts ... weapons developments," Jonah replied, shaking his head sadly, as if he felt that there was a more worthy use for the written word.

"Could I see them?"

"You can relive them."

Curious, Daniel followed Jonah as the other man led him out of the 'Library'.

The interior of the building he was taken to reminded Daniel of a changing room. There were rows and rows of cubicles, many of them were occupied but he couldn't work out what the people were doing in there. They just seemed to be standing and staring at a blank wall. As forms of entertainment went it didn't appear to be the most stimulating. Daniel expected to see a few flashing lights or at least some kind of instrumentation but there was nothing.

"Here... enjoy," Jonah said, guiding him into and empty cubicle.

"Okay..."

Still suspicious, Daniel did as he was bid. At first he felt nothing. The cubicle was as it fist appear... a box. Then, with a jolt that knocked the breath out of him, Daniel was somewhere else. At first he thought that it was some kind of hologram but when he put his hand out he couldn't feel the wall in front of him. Then he realised that he was no longer standing. He was seated in some kind flying aircraft... not unlike the one they had used to get here. He could feel the contours of the seat beneath him, the controls under his hands.

Experimentally, Daniel tried to turn the small craft and was delighted when the ship responded to his touch. He couldn't explain how he knew how to pilot the ship. He'd never flown anything before and he was finding the experience exhilarating. Daniel was so caught up in flying for the first time that he didn't think about how he knew how to do this... or the fact that the hands operating the controls were not his own.

He was flying over terrain that looked like a savannah in Africa. The trees were widely spaced and the long grass beneath them waved in the back draft as his craft passed overhead. Beautiful... but somehow the sight was a disturbing one. He expected to see more than unbroken vegetation. There were no animals, no sleeping lions, no zebra, no giraffes browsing at the tree tops. He wondered what had happened to them all. Or had man gone so far as to wipe out every other animal on the planet? When he did catch a glimpse of something dark moving through the grass his first instinct was to steer the craft towards it. Whatever it was, it was fast, seeming to move tirelessly across the terrain. Daniel couldn't work out how far he chased it, but judging by his speed it had to be for several miles. As he drew closer he realised that the ship was armed and that he was preparing the weapons for firing. But he waited. Waited until the creature stopped and looked up at him... waited until he figuratively saw the whites of its eyes. Then he killed it.

Stepping backwards in shock Daniel found himself standing outside the booth.

"What was that?" he demanded.

"Entertainment," Jonah replied.

"That wasn't me... was it?"

Daniel didn't like to think of himself as being so ready to kill, even if it was nothing more than an animal. He'd felt a moment's exhilaration as he'd fired the shot and another when the creature had dropped to the ground, it's limbs twitching in a parody of life.

"No," Jonah said. "You're experiences were those of another."

"Good... good... And this kind of thing is popular?"

In answer, Jonah gestured around them. The place was crowded.

"It allows those that cannot leave the mountain to fight our enemy, and experience the world outside. I believe that it is a beautiful place."

"Yes... yes it is."

"But too dangerous for most of us."

"Why do you say that?"

"Here."

Leading him further into the building, Jonah indicated another booth. There were fewer people here, the attraction of what this are held was obviously less popular. Daniel wasn't overly enthusiastic about repeating his experience but he stepped inside and waited to be transported to another place.

This time he was with others. A ragged group of people huddled together in a darkened cave. A small fire provided little illumination and Daniel could make out something moving beyond the entrance, outside in the darkness. Daniel stepped closer, trying to get a better look.

Make that several somethings.

The darkness was seething with them. He couldn't tell how long these people had been there, but judging by the smell of the place it had been a while. There didn't seem to be any food or water... and Daniel's own stomach ached with hunger. They couldn't leave, they couldn't stay. Somewhere close by a child started to cry.

No ... not a child. Somehow the sound was too high pitched. Unbidden, Daniel pushed his way through the people and to the back of the cave. There was a creature there. Its legs were folded up on itself like a dead spider and to Daniel it looked as if it were crippled. It seemed larger than the others he had seen.

He would have investigated further if a very human scream hadn't distracted his attention. There was a woman, writhing on the floor in agony. As Daniel watched her stomach seemed to burst open and hundreds upon thousands of larvae wriggled free. Horrified by the sight, the people ran out of the cave... Daniel amongst them. He barely felt the slash of a sharp claw before he was once more outside the booth.

He bent over, trying to stop himself being physically sick. He didn't think that he'd ever forget the sight of those larvae eating their way out of the woman's body.

Jonah stood by, his face creased in sympathy. This was something that he had obviously viewed and he knew what a visceral reaction it provoked. But somehow, Daniel only felt like he was hearing one side of the story.

"You see now?" Jonah said.

"I guess," Daniel replied.

"They feed on us. They slaughter us."

"What was that creature doing at the back of the cave?"

"I do not know."

"How did it get hurt?

"I..." and for a moment Jonah looked troubled.

XOXOXO

Sam had always loved the stars. They had driven her life to the point where she had found herself walking amongst them... quite literally on one particularly memorable occasion. Now she wondered why looking at something so beautiful could cause her so much pain. Standing out on the top of the mountain Sam drew the coat she had been given more tightly about herself as she gazed into the clear, clear sky. She didn't need Wyr's guidance to find the constellation of Pegasus, or the smudge of stars that represented the Andromeda galaxy. The Pegasus irregular galaxy, a companion of Andromeda, that had once housed the Atlantean expedition was too faint to be visible with the naked eye. Although Sam didn't know their exact location of the city below, she realised that they must be in the northern hemisphere... which, when she thought about it, didn't really help much.

"So how many humans are left?" Sam asked quietly.

Something about being up here in the night made her want to speak in hushed tones.

"Five thousand in this city, about the same in the others. Our population is tightly controlled... it has to be until we can get our planet back. "

"How did you do it? I mean how did you cross the intergalactic space? Pegasus is three million light years from here."

"It took us five thousand years."

"Wow."

To Sam it hardly seemed worth the effort... then again, if her own home had been reachable she would have moved heaven and earth to get there, so maybe these people weren't so strange after all. If the Stargate was off-line and the borrowed Asgard technology unavailable to them then they would have had to have developed or found a new method of travelling between the stars. At any other time, she might have asked more about the technology that brought them here, but she was in command of this mission now and she had other priorities.

"Imagine how we felt when we landed and found that the creatures who ruled this world were still so hostile towards us," Wyre continued.

"Still?"

He nodded. "The last message we received form Earth told of the invasion."

Sam was starting to have a very bad feeling about this. Her last memories of her Earth involved the message that the creatures had broken out of Area 51. Was that what had started this?

Under any other circumstances the view from the top of the mountain would have been awe inspiring. Even by starlight the vista was breathtaking. Sam had never seen the Earth's sky so clear and bright. Light pollution was, quite literally, a thing of the past. Looking out she would have given anything to see the rosy glow of a city on the horizon. Sam knew that, for Teal'c and Daniel's sake, she had to remain optimistic, but it was hard. In situations like this she naturally seemed to drift towards despair. She remembered when she and General O'Neill had been trapped in Antarctica, he had been the one who kept her going. It had been the force of his personality that had kept them alive. She didn't have that now and it was like someone had ripped a huge hole in her life. Now she was the one who had to be strong and all she could do was stand here, plagued with self doubt.

The others were following her orders without complaint, but Sam wondered if she was pushing them too hard too soon. They were all still dealing with an enormous loss and trying to ignore the fact that General O'Neill was no longer with them.

"Colonel Carter?" Wyr questioned. He sounded concerned at her sudden silence.

"I'm sorry," Sam apologised.

"If there is anything that I can help you with ..."

Sam hesitated before answering,

"We had a friend... when our ship crashed in the ocean we all got out but we don't know what happened to him."

"You believe that he might still be alive?"

"I don't see how he could be. We never had the chance to recover his body. It could have been washed up on the beach and I hate to think..." Sam stopped and took a deep breath. " We'd like the chance to pay our last respects."

"We will do what we can."

"Thank you... thank you."

Sam didn't know if giving Jack a decent funeral would be enough but she was sure Daniel and Teal'c would also want to say good bye. Jack O'Neill deserved full military honours ... or a Viking funeral with a dog at his feet. Unbidden, Sam smiled to herself... where was Maybourne or Kinsey when you needed them?

She didn't want to return to the claustrophobic world inside the mountain but she could tell that her host was vaguely uncomfortable with the wide open spaces so she gave into his urging to return to the city.

"Where are the other confederacies?" Sam asked as they negotiated the maze of tunnels that led back to the main door.

"To the East and to the South," was the only information that Wyr seemed to be able to provide. Sam doubted that he had ever visited either. From what she could tell each confederacy was independent of the others. They had their own leaders, their own way of life. Since the human race was now confined to mountain ranges it restricted their possible locations. At a guess, Sam thought that this city was located in the Rockies. Were the others in the Alps and the Ramshead? There had to be some communication between the three communities and she wondered what her chances were of paying them a visit.

Wyre walked her back to the apartment that had been assigned to SG-1. There was no need. From what she had seen, Sam figured that the crime rate here was low. No one had anything to steal and any surplus aggression could be worked out by killing the creatures. Worst case scenario, any persistent offenders were forced to leave the city... where it was assumed that certain death awaited them. Still Sam was grateful for Wyr's company but she was even more grateful to be left alone. The apartment was in darkness and she could hear Daniel snoring softly in one of the adjoining rooms. Thinking that her friends were both asleep, Sam sank down into one of the nearby chairs and let her head fall into her hands. Only alone in the dark did she feel that she was able to give vent to her emotions. She did not realise that someone was watching her.

"Colonel Carter," Teal'c said as he stepped into her line of vision.

"What is it Teal'c?" Sam asked, hastily wiping her hands across her eyes.

He just stood there. Sometimes she hated that about him. He could say more with silence than the President could with all of his professional speechwriters.

"I'm fine," she said.

"Indeed?"

The quirk of the eyebrow was enough for Sam to realise that he didn't believe her. She didn't know what else she could tell him. That she still couldn't understand how it had happened? That she still expected General O'Neill to walk through the door and announce that the rumours of his death had been exaggerated? That was more in Daniel's line but even so... What was worse was that sometimes she forgot. She'd think of something that she had to tell him and them remember that he wasn't there anymore.

"Okay so I'm not fine," Sam admitted, "But I really need to be alone right now."

She felt like she was on the verge of a minor breakdown, but she couldn't do it in front of Teal'c. Not this time. Sam was, for the moment at least, his commanding officer. He was only trying to help, she knew that and she appreciated his concern. Maybe in a few weeks... months... years... when they had finally given up and hope of getting home then Sam could find comfort in his arms.

"Thank you," she smiled at him, hoping that he understood.

Teal'c bowed politely and withdrew, leaving Sam alone again. She took a deep breath. Any tears she might shed would have to be done so silently and the best place she could do that was in her own bed.

Sam had been the one to tell Teal'c that he should sleep and right now she could do with following her own advice. They had been here just over twenty four hours and Sam had been awake for nearly that long.

The room she had been given was clean and comfortable, if a little austere. Stripping off her clothes, Sam climbed into the narrow bed. She closed her eyes, hoping that sleep would come. The previous night she had slept in fits and starts, waking as she thought of something else that she needed to ask. Now she realised that she had barely run through any of her questions. Wyre was very adapt at steering the conversation in the direction that he wanted. Sam realised that she knew plenty about his hatred of the creatures but little else about life here.

She hoped that Teal'c would be able to find out more about their fight against the creatures and why it had been going on for so long. Judging by the destruction that she had already witnessed, Sam wasn't sure that she entirely believed the 'rapid breeding' story.

No matter, it wasn't a problem that she had to solve tonight. Closing her eyes, Sam attempted to clear her mind and sleep.


	30. Chapter 30

It was Mlene who guided Teal'c to the weapons development labs and he had the distinct impression that she didn't relish the job. She seemed to view the whole thing as one big inconvenience... and was probably regretting rescuing them. Teal'c did not feel the need to apologise for the disruption he was causing. As far as he was concerned SG1 were guests and every effort should be made to ensure their comfort. However, in this insular society he could understand why a stranger would be treated with so much suspicion.

The labs weren't unlike the many others he had seen. Brightly lit places where people were intent on their work... although he suspected that the cleanliness was due to the fact they had been warned about his visit and had spent the last few hours frantically tidying up. Teal'c couldn't help feeling that perhaps Colonel Carter would have been better suited to this task. If O'Neill had been here he knew that she would have been the one to tour the labs but she had other duties now. He had been disappointed by her rejection of the comfort he had offered. There had been a time when she would have cried in his arms... but it seemed long ago. He did not for a moment think that she cared any less for him but he knew that the burden of command was a heavy one. She would not wish to appear weak even before her friends.

They moved from the labs to what appeared to be a firing range. A technician at one end was holding a weapon that was about the size of a zat gun. When he fired the target at the far end disintegrated with enough force that particles of metal were embedded in the wall.

"On what principle are these weapons based?" Teal'c asked, feeling it was about time he questioned his guide.

"Ultrasonics," Mlene replied, "You hit the right frequency and... boom."

"And it has the same affect on living tissue?"

"Yes... we have a larger version that can devastate large areas, so you can see why where I found you wasn't a good place to be."

"Indeed. How long have you possessed this technology?"

"A few years, no more. Before, we fought the creatures one on one... sometimes I think that was more fun, but it was a battle that we were never going to win. "

"And how do you attract so many of them to the one place."

"Sound again. It turns out that their queens make a certain noise to attract the workers and the drones. We broadcast on all channels and every bug within a ten mile radius comes running."

It must have taken them many years to reach this point, Teal'c realised but when he asked her why Mlene just shrugged her shoulders.

"Our first task was to build this place... and the others like it. They were killing so many of us."

She spoke about the past as if it were yesterday, something he found common with these people. The battle they were fighting seemed to give everything an immediacy. Yesterday became tomorrow as the days blurred into one. It was a feeling that Teal'c remembered well from his years of serving Apophis ... When he dared not grow to close to his companions because the next day they would probably be dead. More often than not death had occurred at Apophis' hand, especially if they had been foolish enough to lose the battle. It was an inappropriate moment to recall the O'Neill had been the one to take him away from that life and had been to show him that it was all right to care for one's comrades in arms. It was now that Teal'c wondered if he hadn't gone to Colonel Carter not for her comfort but his own.

"This way," Mlene said, interrupting his moment of introspection.

There was more to see. If Teal'c had wondered how the correct sound frequency to attract and destroy these creatures had been found, his questions were quickly answered. The next place on their itinerary was an animal testing facility. They walked past dozens of the creatures, each one of them held in a cage. Clearly agitated by the presence of Teal'c and Mlene, they threw themselves against the bars of their cages, screaming at a pitch that hurt human ears.

"You see what we're up against?" Mlene said, "they hate us."

To Teal'c it did not look like hate, it appeared as if they wanted to be free. A sentiment that he could understand. He did not voice his concerns however. Teal'c knew better than to antagonise his host.

He did not feel as if he needed to see more, however the tour was by no means over. Mlene did not appear to be affected by the things she was showing him. However, even Teal'c's strong stomach turned at the sight of the dissection facility. Evisceration in battle was one thing but this was too cold, too clinical. He could not understand how much more they could gain from cutting these creatures up. They already had a more than effective method of killing them. The final straw however was the last stop on their tour, Teal'c considered it nothing more than torture.

A single creature, alone, trapped in a space that could hardly contain it, deprived of everything except itself. Apophis had used sensory deprivation as a method of of torturing his captives. Teal'c had seen the technique drive sane men mad. They barely lasted anytime at all before telling the Goa'uld exactly what he wanted to know.

He couldn't tell how long this creature had been kept under these conditions. It was still alive. Crouched in the tiny space, he could see it moving its feelers at it made a feelble attempt to define the contours of its prison.

"Why are you doing this?" Teal'c whispered.

"Because we need to understand," Mlene said.

But this was taking 'know your enemy' to extremes.

"We're running tests into a device that could rid Earth of the creatures permanently," she continued.

"You would kill them all?"

"And why not? It's what they did to us. But we're not going to kill them... just send them someplace else. What you see here isn't in our dimension. It doesn't exist in our world at all. The creatures can live out their lives in a place where they can't harm anyone apart from themselves."

Teal'c however, did not call what he was observing living. Anything trapped in such a way would have no quality of life.

"There are others who think as you do," Mlene said, sensing Teal'c's disapproval.

"And what happens to these dissenters?" Teal'c asked.

"Nothing. Some leave us to try and survive in the outside world."

"And then?"

"I don't know... no one has ever come back."

XOXOXO

Jack didn't know exactly why he started walking. Part of it was a burning desire to find out something about this world, and part of it was the need to get as far away from the site of destruction as he possibly could. He'd never expected to Bob to come along for the ride.

Except it wasn't just Bob.

Jack felt like a modern day pied piper when he looked at the crowd of creatures who accompanied him. He had no idea why they followed him. There were times when he thought he was the last man alive, but someone had killed all of those creatures and he had a sneaking suspicion that the human race was responsible.

If there were any people left alive here, he saw no sign in those first weeks of his travels.

Jack remembered a time when he had been worried about the effect the desk job was having on his weight, but there were no such concerns now. The other Generals, back in Washington, would barely have recognised him. A restricted diet and constant exercise had restored his body to its pre-promotion shape. If he ever got home there was no way that his uniform was going to fit anymore.

When Jack finally saw a column of smoke on the horizon, he hesitated before heading towards it. Although he knew that he would probably be welcomed with open arms he wasn't so certain about the creatures who accompanied him. Jack didn't even consider abandoning them. They followed him like lost children.

Even though he could not forget the scenes on that other Earth, when Area 51 had been overcome, Jack found it difficult to associate those animals with the creatures that now walked beside him. He wished he knew more about their developmental biology, but he couldn't help feeling that there had been a major change in their behaviour between the two times. There had to be a reason for that even if he couldn't work out what it might be.

He still couldn't figure out how the creatures communicated but he suspected it wasn't just in the sounds they made. He believed that the way you moved your feelers had a lot to do with it ... which made things difficult. There was no way that Jack was waving his hands up in the air like a grasshopper. Something, he suspected, that Daniel would have done without a second thought.

That was the other thing that went through his mind when he saw the smoke. Maybe... just maybe... his friends had made it out of the downed ship alive and were waiting for him. Although he tried his best not to buy into the fantasy, he couldn't help his heart. The smoke had disappeared by morning yet he couldn't help but pick up the pace as he headed for the ridge where he had seen it.

In his imagination, Jack could see his friends' surprise when they found out he was alive. Sam would hug him, Daniel would talk nineteen to the dozen and Teal'c... well Teal'c would probably raise an eyebrow but he'd be happy inside. Despite his protesting knees, Jack practically ran up the last few feet to the top of the ridge.

He was sorely disappointed.

The was a blackened area of grass where the fire had been. Placing his hand over the charcoal, he could feel the warmth emanating from the remains of the fire. He tried to take comfort in the face that people had been here and recently.

The creatures didn't make fire. They had no need of it.

Looking out from the ridge, across the valley below, Jack tried to find some other sign that he wasn't alone out here. He thought he could see a faint trail leading down and, without caring where it led him, Jack followed it.

But the woodland path was deceiving.

He quickly found himself crashing through thick undergrowth, and he knew that no human had come this way. So he switch to what seemed to be another trail.

Jack knew what he was doing was foolish, but obsession was driving him onwards. It was almost as if he had managed to convince himself that his friends were somewhere close by. When one path gave out he quickly found, or imagined that he found, another. And wherever he went, Bob and the other creatures followed. Jack did wonder if they weren't the reason that the others weren't showing themselves. And Jack knew that he would have no way of finding them... not unless they wanted to be found.

When the woodland finally came to an end, Jack found himself staring across a flat, marshy plain. In the distance he could see a river winding its way across the flatland. There wasn't another human being in sight. Jack sank down on the grass, not really caring about the wetness that seeped through his pants. He tried to take heart from the fact that he had seen the fire, but the truth was he was exhausted. Not for the first time, he wondered why life kept on treating him like this. Jack didn't give into despair easily but as he counted the number of times he'd been marooned recently he was beginning to feel that someone had it in for him. On the bright side it had always been on Earth... not on Mars or some other crappy planet. That much at least he supposed he should be grateful for. Right now he had no choice but to go on.

Climbing to his feet, Jack started to pick his way though the marshland. His companions liked the wet ground about as much as he did, but they kept slogging onwards. They had to follow the river for quite away before finding a place that was shallow enough to ford. Boots heavy with mud, Jack knew that his steps were growing slower. It didn't help that Bob kept on running into him as if urging him to go faster. The others were also agitated and Jack wondered if it was the open spaces they didn't like, or maybe there was a more sinister reason. Bob had been fine on the beach. Stopping for a moment, Jack looked up into the clear blue sky. There was something there but so far up that he could barely see. Not a bird... he had seen no other animal life since he had got here. Not caring whether it was friend or foe, Jack started to wave.

Very quickly the dark spot resolved itself into a shuttle craft. As it landed, the creatures scattered in all directions.

"Wait! Where are you going!" Jack tried to call them back. "Bob!"

Bob was the only one that seemed to hesitate. He looked back at Jack before following his own kind. Under normal circumstances they definitely didn't like humans very much and Jack couldn't help wondering what made him different. He was worried about what might happen to them. Having seen how these creatures could die he... well he didn't want that to happen to Bob. He sincerely hoped that the woman walking towards him had been in no way responsible for killing the other creatures.

"And where did you spring from?" she asked, hands resting lightly on her hips.

She was nearly as tall as he was, long blonde hair scraped back from her face. Jack would have found her attractive if she hadn't been so thin. Then again, he wasn't a picture of glowing health either.

"Here and there," Jack replied.

"Looks like you picked up some friends."

"Yes I did... and if you hurt any of them..."

Jack felt bad about threatening her less than two minutes after they'd met but he wanted to get that one thing absolutely clear.

"Woah... wait a second," she protested, "we don't do that."

"Well somebody did, there's a clearing back there with a whole heap of corpses."

"It wasn't me."

"Then who?"

"Come on."

"What?"

"I'll explain... I promise, but not out here."

Reluctantly, Jack followed her into the shuttle. He realised he had probably been a little rude, especially as he suspected she was saving his butt. She could easily have just left him there but Jack just wanted to make sure that she wasn't about to go on a killing spree. Since she seemed as adverse to mass slaughter as he was he could afford to be a bit more amiable.

"it's Jack by the way," he said, offering the hand of friendship.

"Tye," she replied. "Are you always this antagonistic when people are trying to help you?"

"Yes... pretty much. You'll get used to me."

"I'm sure of that."

Jack cringed to himself. He was remembering a certain someone's first trip through the Stargate. The words Tye had just spoken reminded him of that moment and the woman he had been with at the time. God he had been such and ass to Carter on those first few missions. It was a wonder she hadn't had him up on harassment charges. Thinking about his friends wasn't really helping Jack's current state of mind, neither was the hope that Tye might be taking him to them.

XOXOXO

SG-1 had been sharing a meal when the call came that time ship had been found. Sam had received the news with a certain amount of dread. Within a few short hours they would know, one way or the other, what Jack's fate had been.

Mlene shuttled them back to the beach. The time ship had been hauled up onto the sand and even from a distance Sam could tell that it was beyond repair. For start, the entire front section was missing. The ship must have broken up on impact, Sam realised. She only had fuzzy memories of the crash and she hadn't really questioned Teal'c and Daniel... afraid they would tell her things she didn't want to know.

Now, faced with reality, all she could do was stand and stare.

"Do you want to go inside?" Daniel asked.

Sam nodded. If nothing else she should check the time drive. There was a chance, however remote that it was still operational. Then somehow, maybe, they could use it to get home. However, when they got on board, there was just an empty space where the drive used to be.

"Maybe it got washed out?" Daniel suggested. By the tone of his voice, Sam could tell that he also thought the idea an unlikely one. It wasn't the kind of thing that just shook loose and floated away.

"They found it kind of fast don't you think?" Sam whispered, making sure they were out of earshot. "They had a whole ocean to search."

"Do you believe that someone witnessed the crash?" Teal'c asked.

"They must have done."

"Then Wyr lied to you."

"We don't know that. Maybe he didn't realise."

Sam was giving him the benefit of the doubt... for now. She was also assuming that the time drive was back at the mountain.

"I'll talk to him," she said.

The likelihood was that Wyr didn't realise what his people had in their possession and Sam wanted to keep it that way. If they knew then they might be tempted to use it. As much as the world was screwed up right now, Sam knew that futzing with the timeline could make it worse.

As things stood now she couldn't even start to work out how they were going to get out of the mess they were in. Stepping outside of the ship, and shading her eyes against the glare of the Sun, Sam looked up and down the beach.

"No sign of Jack," Daniel said.

There wasn't and Sam realised that she had to accept the fact that they would never know what had happened to him. She felt something inside her die. Losing hope was a terrible thing but in order for them to move on with their lives it had to happen. Daniel took her hand and squeezed it tightly.

"I'm okay," she reassured him. "Let's get back. I want to talk to Wyr again."

Sam used the journey back to consider what she was actually going to say to the council leader. She couldn't just accuse him of stealing their property. For one thing, she didn't want him to know how important it was. No, this situation would require some delicate handling.

She found him standing on the balcony at the rear of the council chambers, gazing once more over the city that was his home.

"Did you find your friend?" he asked as he turned to great his visitor.

"No," Sam admitted.

"I am sorry."

"Thank you."

Joining him at the edge of the balcony, Sam thought carefully about how she was gong to word her next question.

"Wyr, when you found our ship... there was a device..."

"Yes, we could not fathom it's purpose so we had it removed and taken to our laboratories. Perhaps you could tell us more."

"We found the ship abandoned on another world, our understanding is also... limited."

Which was true from a certain perspective. Sam still hadn't managed to figure out how the time device actually worked, she just knew that it did. This brought Sam around to something else that she wanted to ask.

"Maybe I could help?" she suggested.

"In what way?"

"Back... back where I come from, I'm a scientist and I've been studying the device for a while. I'd like to make myself useful to you."

"We don't usually ask our guests to work."

"It looks as if we're going to be here for a while."

Wyr seemed to consider her suggestion.

"Very well," he nodded. "I will have someone take you to the laboratories tomorrow."

"Thank you."

As far as Sam was concerned she had achieved a double victory. Not only would she be able to steer the other scientists away from finding out the true purpose of the time travel device, but having something to do would keep her mind off not being able to go home again. She was actually smiling as she walked back into SG1's apartment.

"I'm guessing that went well?" Daniel said.

"You guessed right. I start work tomorrow."

"Congratulations... any idea what Teal'c and I should do whilst you're saving our collective asses."

Sam stopped smiling. "I'm sorry guys, but having you around might be a liability."

"I could be a technician," Daniel protested.

"You spill coffee."

"One time... okay maybe twice... three times... that's not that much."

"Would you want me touching your library?"

"Point taken."

"Daniel... Look I know this is hard. See if you can persuade Mlene to take you out again. Even after ten thousand years there has to be something left of the Earth we knew. Maybe you can find some clue as to what actually happened."

"The least we could do is go back to Cheyenne Mountain," he suggested.

"Sounds good. There should be plenty of data in protected storage. I'm sure we could rig up some method of reading it."

Sam was relieved that Daniel seemed enthusiastic about the scheme. For a moment there she had thought that he was on the urge of open rebellion. It wasn't her fault that he was a little... clumsy around expensive equipment. Give him an ancient manuscript and he'd treat it like his own child... whereas Sam was the one who was the klutz. She cringed at the memory of the time that she had ripped out a page from a book just so she could note down a phone number in the margin. Daniel had sulked for a week.


	31. Chapter 31

Although there were plenty of other people at the place Tye took him to, it didn't take Jack long to realise that SG-1 weren't amongst them. There were twenty... maybe thirty people living rough in the foothills of the mountains. The shuttle craft that had transported him to the camp belied a higher degree of technology than Jack was currently staring at. No running water. Definitley no bathrooms... still he'd lived in worse conditions. He was welcomed with open arms. Despite some fairly intense questioning, he remained vague about where he had come from. It didn't really matter anyway. Only when someone asked how he had escaped was his curiosity piqued and he realised that this wasn't the sum total of the remnants of mankind.

"So let me get this right... you people lived in a place where you had food, shelter and could go to the bathroom without sharing the facilities with a hundred or so bugs... why did you leave?" he asked.

Darkness had fallen, and they were siting around a blazing fire. Nice for a weekend's camping, but not the way to spend the rest of your life.

"Some of use were forced to, some left of their own accord," the man sitting across from Jack replied.

He kind of reminded Jack of a bear... except he was possibly slightly more hairy.

"But why?" Jack pressed, knowing that he was sounding like a whiny child.

"Because we don't agree with this war we're fighting," the man went on.

"War?"

But Jack had the terrible feeling that he already knew.

"You've seen it, haven't you," Tye whispered. "I can tell by your eyes."

"I saw... I saw a lot of dead creatures, I don't know how they died."

"Weapons of mass destruction," the bear-like man boomed.

"I've heard that before, us or them?'

"Us... the most aggressive predator on the planet."

From what he had seen in the past, Jack knew what the creatures were capable of. They couldn't exactly be said to be benign. But the behaviour he had witnessed here told a different story... and none of it made sense. Speaking in half truths and double meanings wasn't helping his state of mind.

"Would someone please tell me what the hell is going on!" he demanded.

"Tye," the bear man ordered, "Tomorrow, take him into the mountain and show him."

Jack spent the night staring up at the stars. Although he was no stranger to sleeping on the ground, he couldn't get used to having so many people around him. He missed Bob. As he counted the minutes until dawn he wondered what could possibly be so important holed up inside a mountain. Whatever it might be, the very thought had served to slaughter sleep for Jack. Tired, and gritty eyed he arose the next morning at sunrise. There was a stream nearby and he took the opportunity to wash himself down as best he could. Now he was back amongst humans he supposed that he should at least make an attempt to conform to some standard of decency. There was little he could do about the growth of hair on his face, however. He wasn't about to take shave with a blunt knife. Been there... done that and the results weren't pretty... especially without the benefit of a mirror. He didn't want to be responsible for cutting his own throat... that would just be dumb.

When he returned from his ablutions the rest of the camp was up and moving about. Jack was eager to be off but he had to wait until breakfast was over. The food offered was slightly better than he had been able to scavenge for himself over the past few days. No meat but there was plenty of fresh fruit and some kind of flatbread. Jack had definitely been missing his carbs.

Tye didn't seem overjoyed at the prospect of taking Jack anywhere. Near as he could guess she had brought the shuttle with her when she had fled from wherever she had escaped from and she was the closest thing to a pilot that they had. Whatever she had to show him, Jack hoped it was important because, from where he sat she wasn't exactly the best pilot he'd come across. Jack hadn't felt air sick since his first trip in an F-111 but his stomach was definitely roiling as she dipped slightly to close to the treetops. He really hoped that he wasn't about to barf because he doubted that this ship was equipped with sick bags. Throwing up would be a totally uncool thing to do right now.

Looking out of the window probably wasn't the best way to distract himself from the unsteady flight but Jack did it anyway. This high above the ground, he imagined that he could see patterns etched on the land. Daniel was better at this stuff than he was but Jack was almost convinced that he could see the outlines of what might have been a city. History had left its mark on the landscape below.

They turned away from the 'city', heading straight towards the mountain that dominated its skyline. Jack had the funny feeling that he had been here before. Although the city was no more and a forest grew where once there had been a road, ten thousand years wasn't long enough for the lie of the land to have changed significantly. The shape of the mountains were as familiar as the ones he used to see from his own back yard. He may not have flown at this altitude, but the path they were taking mirrored the one he had taken to work for eight years. Jack knew where they were going and he both welcomed and dreaded what they would find there.

Tye landed the ship on the upper slopes of the Mountain and she seemed surprised when Jack took the lead.

"You've been here before?" she asked.

"You could say that. Hope you got torches."

She handed him a flashlight.

From what he could see they were close to an access point that would take them down to the lower levels. There was no thought of the need to hide his past as he unerringly found their way into Cheyenne Mountain.

The ladder was in remarkably good repair but even so, Jack went first. He knew getting out of here would be a lot tougher but he didn't care much about that right now. He just wanted to see the place again. Tye coming down behind him, they climbed right down to Level 28.

The access hatch was stiff, but Jack put his shoulder behind it and managed to push it open enough for them both to squeeze through.

"I've never been down this far before," Tye whispered.

"This was the heart of the operation," Jack replied.

And then he was hurrying down the familiar corridors towards the Gateroom.

More than anything, he wanted to see the Stargate. The corridors were thick with dust and debris and Jack didn't look down to find out exactly what was crunching beneath his feet. He didn't want to know. He had to keep telling himself that all this had happened ten thousand years ago. There was nothing to be gained from mourning the dead.

The door to the Gateroom was open and Jack paused just inside, letting his torch run over the lines of the Stargate. The iris was closed. Jack wondered if that was to stop people getting out, or to stop them coming back. It was only as he glanced up towards the control room that he realised that there was a light glowing on one of the control panels. Jack had expected any power source to have failed hundreds of years ago, but he suspected this was something different... probably something that Carter had knocked up in her spare time.

Curious, he led the way up the stairs.

"What is is?" Tye asked, seemingly fascinated by the flashing light.

"A distress signal," Jack replied. It was something that had been introduced during his sojourn as commanding officer of the SGC. Only for used in a dire emergency it had been designed to broadcast a signal, not for the benefit of those on Earth but to ensure that others kept away from the planet.

"There should be a way to find out what it says," Jack said, although judging by her expression he expected that Tye already knew. No matter, he needed to hear this for himself. Luckily, Jack still had his radio with him and the battery wasn't quite dead. He quickly tuned it to the SGC's emergency band.

"… do not, I repeat do not attempt to land. Message ends…" Even though it was distorted, Jack still recognised Hank Landry's voice.

"This is Major General Landry, United States Air Force. As of 1300 hours on the 6th day of June 2007 Earth can no longer be considered habitable. The human race has fallen victim to invasion by an intractable enemy. We do not know where these creatures have come from but we know that the kill without mercy. They have overrun our planet and, in our attempts to salvage what little remained, the United States of America under the command of President Henry Hayes, was forced to take drastic action. After detecting the launch of multiple missiles our enemies chose to see our action as an act of war.

It has been estimated that 90% of the Earth's surface has been rendered uninhabitable. This base was evacuated three hours ago. I remained behind to secure the iris and ensure that no one accidentally stumbles upon the remains of this world. We cannot risk these creatures leaving Earth.

Whoever may hear this message do not, I repeat do not, attempt a landing here… This is Major General…"

Jack shut his radio off.

"That was it?" he asked. "That was the message you heard?"

Tye nodded.

It was all becoming hideously clear. When the human race had eventually returned to Earth and, in doing so had heard a message from a man who had been dead for thousands of years. They had taken Landrey's words as gospel and embarked on the wholesale slaughter of the creatures. Jack could almost forgive them their mistake. He knew that he would have been the first to jump to the same conclusion.

"So why don't you believe in what your buddies are doing?" he asked.

"The creatures are dangerous to humans," she admitted. "During their breeding cycle they will lay eggs in any damp warm orifice that they can find... and that includes the human body. If you threaten their queen they will do anything to protect her... but they're intelligent creatures. Treat them with the respect they deserve and they'll do no harm."

The passion in her voice was evident. She clearly thought that she was doing the right thing and she had given up what Jack could only assume had been a comfortable life to make that point.

"So who did you leave behind?" he asked.

"How did you...?"

"Just a guess."

"My partner," she replied.

"Partner as in...?"

"I miss her more every day."

"But not enough to go back."

"No. I worked in the labs and what I was being asked to do was nothing short of torture. I couldn't return."

"Good for you."

"Could we leave not?"

She was clearly disturbed by being her.

"Sure," Jack said. "There's something I need to do. Wait here, I won't be long."

Jack knew that he was probably being overly sentimental but there was one thing that he couldn't get out of his head. Hank Landry had died here alone, with nobody to mourn his passing. Walking away from Tye, Jack took the stairs up to the conference room. It all looked far too complete for his liking. Sealed down here, everything had been preserved. Aside from the dust and the darkness it looked as if Daniel was about to come bursting through the door shouting about some discovery that he'd made.

From there, Jack moved through to the general's office. It was occupied. The remains should have crumbled to dust centuries ago and even now Jack didn't know for certain that this was Landry that he was looking at. Slumped over the desk, a service revolver clasped in his hand... it was a fairly good guess as to the identity.

"Jeez, Hank what the hell did you do?" Jack questioned out loud.

He had no idea how he could pay his respects and he didn't want to leave without some kind of recognition. Not being able to think of anything else, he took the patch off of his uniform and placed it next to the erstwhile General's upraised hand.

"Rest in peace," he whispered as he saluted.

XOXOXO

"There it is!" Daniel yelled, unable to contain his excitement.

He hadn't been sure that he would be able to find Cheyenne Mountain, but there it was, it's shape unmistakable against the horizon.

"How do we get in?" Mlene demanded as she brought the shuttle round to circle the mountain.

"There were escape hatches. We should be able to find one of them?"

Daniel glanced across at Teal'c wondering if he was saying too much, but he didn't know what else he could do. There was no point in pretending they were strangers to these parts. Once they were inside any reasonably intelligent person would come to the conclusion that Daniel and Teal'c had intimate knowledge of the complex. There was no way that they could disguise that.

"Okay... we'll give it a try," Mlene said as she guided the shuttle into land.

Although Daniel knew that it was probably completely inappropriate, he felt like he was about to open an unknown tomb in the Valley of the Kings.

Finding one of the escape hatches was easier said than done. Although Daniel had recognised the mountain easily enough, once they were on the ground it became more difficult to follow the lie of the land. He hadn't spent much time exploring the mountain slopes. Even if he had, he suspected that it wouldn't have helped much. It was a cliché, but he was forced to accept that after ten thousand years, he probably wouldn't have recognised his own back yard.

He wondered if they wouldn't be better off trying to find the front door, but he knew that the Mountain would have been sealed centuries ago and without some pretty heavy duty weapons they would have no chance of breaking in. But there was another route that might be easier.

Back in 1969 Daniel and the rest of SG1 had found themselves in a very different Cheyenne Mountain. It had been a missile silo. And Daniel knew that in order for the missiles to get out... and the Stargate to get in... there was a massive hatch at the summit of the mountain.

"Mlene, can the weapon of yours be used on anything?" he asked.

"We'd need to find the right frequency in order for it to work but, yes," she replied.

"Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c questioned.

"We need to get to the summit, then we should be able to destroy the launch bay doors and fly right down into the Gateroom."

"A good plan."

"I thought so."

It was not without its faults. The weapon that Mlene had used on on the creatures was finely tuned to disrupt their flesh and blood. Finding a way to change that frequency to destroy metal, not to mention the feet of earth and rock that had bee deposited on the surface over the past few thousand years was easier said than done.

"I'm going to have to go for overkill," she said eventually.

"Overkill is good," Daniel replied, eagerly.

"I might destroy whatever is down there"

It was a risk that they would have to live with. Daniel couldn't explain why he wanted to get in there so badly. He couldn't help feeling that there was something... or someone waiting for him. Someone very important. It was at times like this that Daniel wondered if he hadn't retained some of the abilities he'd had during his time as an ascended being. He knew that the Ancients had stripped him of everything (including his clothes) when they'd sent him back, but he couldn't help wondering if there was something left behind. He didn't feel it often, just sometimes, when it concerned people that he was close to.

Mlene insisted on taking the shuttle some distance away before she would risk triggering the weapon. Daniel was painfully aware that the material she was attempting to destroy had a similar composition to that making up the infrastructure of the ship. If they got caught in the blast then they would face a long walk home.

There was no mistaking when it happened. The shuttle was struck by a blow powerful enough to send them tumbling end over end and Mlene struggled for several minutes before managing to bring them back onto an even keel. When Daniel looked back towards the mountain there was a cloud of dust and dirt reaching hundreds of feet into the air. He guessed that they had been a bit too successful. It was only as the dust settled he could see that the entire summit of the mountain had been blown away.

They had to wait before Mlene judged it safe to go back. She flew the ship down into the mountain with the utmost care. The shuttle was only just small enough to fit. Daniel resisted the urge to close his eyes as they made the descent but he released a breath that he didn't know he'd been holding when they finally landed in the Gateroom.

Aside from the dust and debris... most of which they had created, the place didn't look that much different. He suspected that the end had come not long after SG-1 had left. There were no bodies... that much he was grateful for. Daniel guessed that all personnel had been evacuated through the Stargate. He looked up at the hole they had made in the roof. There could well be descendants of the SGC personnel still out there somewhere.

"We should take a look around," he said.

He led the way out of the Gateroom. Now they were here, Daniel didn't know exactly what he was hoping to find. This had all happened so long ago. He had heard the transmission that had greeted the Atlanteans when they had returned to this world. General Landry's voice had been preserved for all eternity. From what Daniel could tell, his words had sent the human race on their current path. He had warned them of the dangers that the creature posed.

There would be other things here, Daniel realised. Some of the alien technology that the Stargate personnel had brought back through the gate would probably still be operational. He just wasn't sure whether it would be useful or not.

It may have been force of habit, or it may had been for some other reason, but Daniel found himself heading towards his lab. The place was exactly as he left it... even to the open book on his desk. With reverence he touched the pages, only to have them crumble to dust beneath his fingertips. Somehow it all seemed so pointless. Everything they had striven for over the past few weeks had come to nothing. They hadn't manage to make a difference. They hadn't managed to save the world. Looking about one final time, Daniel noticed a CD sitting by his computer. It was a copy of the one the other Samantha Carter had brought with her. It looked as shiny as the day it had been made. Daniel picked it up and slipped it into his pocket.

They walked through many empty rooms, Sam's lab, the commissary, the infirmary... God what would Janet have thought of all this, Daniel wondered. It had been three years, but he still missed her. He would have made a recce of the whole base if Teal'c hadn't stopped him.

"Daniel Jackson, I believe we have seen enough," he said.

He was right. They weren't achieving anything. Whatever Sam had hoped to find here, there was nothing more than dust and memories.

They made their way back to the Gateroom via the conference room. It was there that Daniel noticed the footprints in the dust. Wordlessly, he pointed them out to Teal'c who bent down to study them more closely.

"These are consistent with an USAF issue boot," was his conclusion.

"But they're recent... right?"

"Indeed."

Recent in as much as they had been formed sometime later than ten thousand years ago. It was good enough for Daniel to follow them into the General's office. He paused at the door, trying to fight the urge to knock. As he looked in he realised that there was one person who had remained behind. The captain had gone down with his ship, he realised, sadly.

"General Landry?" Teal'c asked.

"Has to be," Daniel replied.

He wasn't sure whether they should be doing something, preparing some tribute to the man who had led the SGC during its darkest hour. Then he noticed that someone had got there first. Wordlessly, Daniel picked up the patch that was lying on the desk. It looked fresh, new... as if it had been laid there yesterday. The designation was clear... SG-1.

"O'Neill," Teal'c said.

Daniel nodded. It had to be. There wasn't any other rational explanation. Try as he might, Daniel couldn't help but feel the hope well up on his heart. Despite the fact that Jack had been here recently there was no reason to believe that he was still alive, but the signs were good. Never mind that he had been here, hundreds of miles from their crash sight. Daniel didn't care about that. Logic flew out of the window with his knowledge that his friend had survived and could be close by.


	32. Chapter 32

Sam anticipated that she might be slightly out of her depth given the advances in technology between her time and this, but she was also confident of her ability to catch up. She knew that she had a knack for understanding alien technology and she didn't expect this to be any different. However, her first day in the lab was nothing more than a disappointment.

Despite Wyr's assurances, Sam knew that she wasn't welcome. The other workers resented the fact that she had been sent to help them but backing down wasn't in Sam's nature. She had withstood a lot more than sullen looks and barely veiled hostility. Since no one was willing to help her she decided that she would have to help herself. That night, Sam stayed behind after everyone else had left. So certain were they of their superiority that no one gave her a second glance. In some ways, Sam was glad of the alone time. When she wasn't with Wyr, she was with Teal'c and Daniel... Not that she didn't enjoy their company but sometimes a girl just wanted some time to herself to do girl stuff... like trying to work out how this computer system worked.

It shouldn't be too difficult, she figured. These people were human after all and there was only so many ways that an interface could operate. It was actually the language that had her stumped. The symbols were unlike any she had seen before. Over the years Sam had managed to pick up a smattering of Goa'uld and Ancient, but this was neither. She quickly realised that she was going to have to bring Daniel in on this but since he was currently out trying to find the remains of Cheyenne mountain, he couldn't be of any help. Despite hitting a proverbial brick wall, Sam was reluctant to leave. Old habits die hard and working long hours was ingrained into her psyche. She found herself wandering from lab to lab wanting to do something, but not knowing exactly what.

From the information Teal'c had provided, Sam knew that there was some animal experimentation going on here. She hesitated before wandering into that part of the building. She had to admit that the idea freaked her out a little. Apparently it was all in the name of weapons research but in Sam's mind it was just needless vivisection and it wasn't something that she particularly wanted to see. As she approached what could only be described as cages, Sam seriously considered turning back. But gritting her teeth against a sudden wave of nausea, she forced herself to keep walking. She had the feeling that this area of the complex was one of the most important.

Whatever plans were being made with regards to winning this war, it was here that they were being developed. Sam wasn't entirely sure what she expected to find. Some development regarding the box that would eventually be sent back to the past would be a start. However she had to face facts. Time travel on any level wasn't an exact science. Daniel's figure of ten thousand years had been an approximate at best... add that to the fact that the ship had been brought here by General O'Neill's thoughts then they could easily be a hundred years too early. The one consolation was the fact that they obviously hadn't arrived too late. Given the prevalence of the creatures, Sam theorised that they were still a long way from finding a way of dealing with their enemy permanently. She hoped that was the only reason for having these testing facilities.

The creatures were clearly agitated by her passing, hurling themselves at the bars of their cages in their efforts to get to her. It was a Pavlovian response and Sam couldn't help wondering if it wasn't here that they were learning to hate humans. She couldn't see how many cages there were, but they seemed to stretch back into darkness.

Teal'c had told her of the isolation chamber, but when Sam went to investigate she noticed that there was more creatures inside. She couldn't understand how more than one could fit into the space. Both looked catatonic. It was only as she took a closer look that she realised two creatures had been a gross underestimate. Five? Six? Everywhere she looked she could see another one. In the end, Sam had to turn away as the spatial distortion was making her eyes hurt. On first glance the space hadn't looked that big, but now she couldn't make a guess as to its size. Sam would have investigated further if she hadn't been distracted by a very human shout.

Sam thought at first that someone had discovered her late night wanderings but as she looked around she realised that, aside from the creatures, there was no one in sight.

"Hello?" she called out.

"Carter?"

There was only one person Sam knew who would use that name.

"Sir? Where are you?"

"Back here!"

Still wondering if she wasn't hearing things, Sam hurried down one of the many walkways towards the sound of his voice. The line of cages seemed unending.

"To your right!" he shouted out.

Sam jogged down a side alley, coming to a sudden halt when she realised that the creatures weren't the only animals being kept in these cages. Right at the back, where no casual observer would find them, were half a dozen cages containing human beings. And General O'Neill was one of them. Kneeling down by his cage, Sam wriggled her hand through the bars, wanting nothing more than to touch him and prove to herself that he was still alive. He looked a little the worse for wear. His face was bruised and there was a barely healed cut across his left eye. Who ever had brought him here hadn't done so gently.

"We thought you were dead," she breathed.

"Hey... I'm as indestructible as... as...Daniel," he smiled grasping her fingers with his own. "Is everyone else okay?"

"They're fine. Just a second... I'll get you out of there."

"No ... wait..."

"Sir?"

She could tell that is military brain had kicked into gear. The other people were watching their whispered conversation and Sam knew that they were as confused as she was by the General's order.

"If you let us out they'll know about it, " he went on. "and they'll tear the place apart looking for us. You, Teal'c and Daniel won't be safe. We know this is where it starts and you have to find out how and why they send the creatures back in time... and stop them if you can. "

"This is inhuman."

"I know... but so is what they're doing to these creatures. If we're going to stop them then we need you on the outside."

"I can't just leave you!"

"We'll be fine."

"No you won't."

"We're here because we put a spanner in the works."

"They're doing experiments on the creatures, sir. What's to say that you won't be next!"

"Okay, if it looks like they're about to wield a surgeon's knife then you can rescue us."

Sam didn't want to agree but she could see the logic in his words. He was looking at the bigger picture.

"You'd better get out of here."

"I'll come back soon"

"Sure, bring me a file in a cake... now go."

Climbing to her feet, Sam started to walk away.

"Just don't bake it yourself!" O'Neill shouted after her.

XOXOXO

When Jack made a decision, he liked to stick to it. The more he learned about the civilisation that had developed here, the less he liked it. Of course he was only getting one side of the story but he knew he had good instincts and they were telling him that something was very wrong. The creatures weren't benign. He knew that, but neither were they a candidate for mass slaughter. Since his visit to the SGC, Jack had spent a great deal of time talking to Tye and the 'bear man' whose name turned out to be Ralan. They had spoken of the city that had been there home and Jack realised that it must have taken a very firm conviction to leave such a place and go out into a world that they considered so hostile. However, what he couldn't understand was why they hadn't done anything to change the situation. Living out here at one with nature was all very well but the slaughter continued.

Tye took him to see an attack first hand, but Jack couldn't just sit back and watch. As the number of creatures attracted to the clearing increased, he couldn't get away from the feeling that Bob might be amongst them. The principle behind the weapons was easy enough to understand. Jack knew that the creatures were being attracted by a noise at a frequency beyond that of human hearing. So he figured that all they had to do was disrupt that sound and the creatures would wander away. He turned out to be right. Their shuttle was equipped with its own version of the weapon and with a bit of minor tinkering it also made an effective deterrent. When others arrived to survey what they had hoped would be the death of their enemies all they found was an empty space.

Their success gave Jack an idea. They couldn't save every batch of creatures. They only had one shuttle and couldn't attack every sight, but Jack hoped that they did enough to make a difference. Even finding out where the next attack was going to take place was relatively easy. These people had never fought against a human enemy and didn't think to hide their communications. Kicking and screaming, Jack was dragging the people who had rescued him back into this war.

He had wanted to see the city for many reasons. Firstly there was curiosity, pure and simple. The adage know your enemy was as important here as it always had been. Jack also wondered if they couldn't secure another shuttle craft. One was most definitely not enough. They needed a back up. Finally he wanted to find out if their actions were having an effect on the people living in their splendid isolation.

And, to start off with, everything had gone so well.

What he hadn't figured on was his companions being recognised so quickly. From the intel that Tye had given him, the city was a big place. Jack had specifically told her to keep away from her old neighbourhood but it seemed that old habits died hard. They were recognised and an alarm raised.

The fight had been brief and dirty. Jack's ribs ached from receiving a boot in them one too many times and there had been a couple of days when his eyes had been so swollen that seeing out of them had been a problem. But he'd had plenty of time to go over the mistakes that he had made. He'd gotten too cocky, too fast, misjudged his enemy and wound up sitting in a cage with no way out. There had been no trial, no attempt to question them.

Jack hadn't expected anyone to find them for a very long time. Certainly, they were fed at regular intervals but they were treated no differently from the creatures who occupied the cells nearby. There was no change from day to night and Jack couldn't say how long they had been there when he finally heard a familiar footstep. He couldn't even say how he knew that it was her. It was only when he heard her gasp that he realised he wasn't delusional. The short whispered conversation with Carter, the touch of her hand, did wonders for his moral. Even though he had eschewed her offer of help, it was enough of a comfort to know that his team was out there and would come running should he call.

He could feel the other prisoners actively glowering at him and Jack wondered about the wisdom of telling Carter not to release them. They had followed him willingly enough. Jack knew that he had explained how dangerous this could be... and what could go wrong. He hadn't forced anyone to join him. But a voice at the back of his mind was telling him that they had trusted him and he had been the one to steer them wrong.

Although he had been the one to send her away, Jack couldn't help wishing that Carter would come back... or Daniel... or Teal'c. He wasn't fussy.

Jack hadn't allowed himself to sleep, not really, not since they had been imprisoned here. He would nap for a few minutes and then shock himself awake again. Sleep deprivation was one of the reasons that he had thought Carter might be a mirage. But the knowledge that his friends were close by allowed him to relax a little and he fell into a restless slumber.

It was the screaming that woke him. Jack looked through the bars and realised that the creatures in the cages nearby were being moved. As soon as he saw what was happening he realised that his plans would have to change. They couldn't risk staying here much longer.

"Hey!" he yelled out. "Where are you taking them?"

But the technicians, or whatever they were, took no notice of him. One of the creatures seemed to reach out and it was with a sickening feeling Jack realised that it was Bob. Even though he his actions were futile, Jack tested the bars of his cage, hauling on the metal in the hope that it would bend or break. But brute force and ignorance wasn't going to get him out of this one. He was powerless to do anything as Bob was carted away. The last person he expected to see helping these people out was Carter. However, one look at her face was enough to convince him that she was only standing by so quietly because she was obeying his orders. She didn't even look at him as she walked past his cage but Jack noticed the slight movement of her hand, and the clang of something metallic hitting the floor. She had dropped a set of lock picks into his cage and given him a way out.

Given what he was seeing now, Jack was inclined to get out of there as soon as the opportunity arose... or at least give his companions the chance to escape.

As soon as things had quietened down, Jack made his move. It had been a while since he'd done this. Appearances could be deceiving and it was actually Carter who was the expert thief amongst the group. He knew the basics though. Although he wasn't as fast as Carter, he usually got there in the end. Despite having to twist his fingers into a fairly awkward position, this occasion was no different. Why a non-electronic lock had been used, he couldn't quite fathom but he was grateful for the lack of sophistication.

Once outside Jack turned his attention to releasing his companions.

"Get them out of here," he told Tye once the locks had been freed.

"What about you?" she asked.

"I'll be fine. I have friends here and they'll help me."

"What are you going to do?"

"Stop this."

And he hurried away before anyone could ask him any more questions. They would be fine... he hoped. Tye had got them in here so she would be able to get them out. At least he hoped that she would.

Running away was the best thing they could do for now. This first foray into enemy territory had been a disaster and Jack realised that they would need a whole lot more training before they could be moulded into anything resembling a fighting force. Sure, they talked a good fight and had plenty of useful information but there was big difference between wanting to make a difference and actually being able to do it.

XOXOXO

Sam couldn't help the vague sense of sadness as she returned to their apartment that night. Even finding General O'Neill hadn't been enough to lift her mood. Daniel and Teal'c had been gone for two days now and she was starting to worry about them. Staying here hadn't been as rewarding as she'd first imagined. She still couldn't figure out what was happening. She'd spent today moving creatures from their cages and into the isolation chamber... okay so isolation was no longer the word for what was happening there. On last count there had to be at least a hundred creatures in there. Still alive, but held in some kind of suspension. She couldn't work out what it was all for. If they were searching for a more humane way to solve their problem then this wasn't it. Sam knew that she'd rather be dead than trapped that way. The creatures knew what was happening to them. They weren't the dumb beasts that Sam had first imagined. The way they had screamed and struggled... She just knew they were hurting.

She had no idea how she was supposed to put a stop to it. Somehow she knew that calling a halt to this crazy war was the way to save her world.

Fact ... the creatures were here.

Fact ... experiments were being done to trap the creatures in a space that wasn't entirely in this dimension.

Fact ... they now had access to a time travel device.

It was all adding up to one horrendous causality loop. Sam had a really bad feeling that SG-1's presence in this time zone was the ultimate cause of the havoc that had been wreaked on this world.

"Sam!"

Daniel's voice brought her out of her reverie. He sounded excited about something. Turning to greet her friends, Sam noticed that they both had huge grins on their faces.

"What? What is it?" she asked.

Wordlessly, Daniel handed her an SG-1 patch.

"We found it at the Mountain," he grinned. "Jack's alive Sam... he's alive."

"I know," Sam smiled at his enthusiasm.

"What do you mean... you know?"

"He's here. I spoke to him."

"Here here?'

"Here, in the city."

"Then why isn't he here?"

"Daniel!"

Sam rubbed her hand through her hair... this was giving her a headache.

"He'll join us when he can," she explained.

It was as near to the truth as she could get. If she said anymore she knew that Teal'c and Daniel would want to rescue the General... whether he wanted it or not. At least Sam had been able to give him a way out. And knowing the General he would choose to get the people who had been imprisoned with him to safety before seeking out his team mates. They would have to wait for him to make contact.

"What else did you find?" Sam asked.

"General Landry's last message is still being transmitted," Teal'c replied.

"Wow." Sam knew that she'd designed the transmitter to keep working for a long time, but she was impressed that it was still functioning.

"Kind of explains why everyone's been giving the Earth a wide berth," Daniel added.

"The Stargate is intact and the iris is closed."

"So we have a way out off of this planet should we need it," Sam said.

"And you think we'll need it?" Daniel questioned, "Sam what's going on here?"

"Daniel... I need you to check something for me."

There was a computer terminal in their apartment and it didn't take Sam long to call up the information that she needed. Even though it was in another language, the interface had been designed by humans for humans and the basic concepts were the same. Bill Gates would be so proud. Daniel, his curiosity piqued, looked over her shoulder.

"Am I crazy or are these symbols similar to those you found on the box?" she asked.

"You're not crazy," he replied after studying the symbols for a moment.

"So it definitely came from here?"

"I would say so."

"The question is when this will happen?" Teal'c said.

"Right. From what I've seen I think it's in development now," Sam added.

"So how do we stop it?" Daniel asked.

"The time travel device."

Sam spoke so quietly that her words could barely be heard.

"Are you sure?"

"Daniel, there's no evidence that these people have any time travel technology. We've brought it here. We're the cause of all this."

He knew as well as she did that she was talking about the destruction of their only way out and it wasn't a suggestion that Sam made lightly. They would probably argue about it for a while longer but ultimately Sam knew that her friends would agree.

She had just signed their death warrant.


	33. Chapter 33

Teal'c did not sleep that night. He sat by patiently, listening to his friends argue back an forth but he was not surprised when they could not come to an agreement. Eventually they both retired for the night with the bad feeling still between them. Daniel Jackson believed they should wait, whilst Colonel Carter was in favour of the immediate destruction of the time travel device. Teal'c believed that she also had doubts otherwise she would have quickly silenced the dissent. Teal'c would not be drawn into who was right. There was no conflict in his mind. Where Major carter led, he would follow.

He was grateful for the silence of the night. Chances to meditate had been rare of late and he decided to avail himself of the opportunity. He did not have candles, but the soft glow of the computer screen sufficed. Slowing his breathing and his heart rate, Teal'c allowed himself to sink towards a meditative state. He was on the verge of attaining this when he realised that he was no longer alone in the room.

Teal'c opened his eyes.

"Hey T."

Jack O'Neill was standing in front of him.

"O'Neill," Teal'c nodded.

"Nice to see you too."

"I will wake the others."

"No."

Raising his eyebrow, Teal'c waited for O'Neill to explain.

"I don't want Carter and Daniel involved in this," he said.

"Why?"

"Because I'm in command here and I don't want Carter to be the one who does what we have to do... do."

There was no point in trying to make sense of O'Neill's convoluted argument.

"You wish to destroy the time travel device?" Teal'c said.

"It's gotta be done T."

"Indeed."

"And you thought you could do this without us?"

Samantha Carter's voice held a hint of steel... and Teal'c knew that, at that moment, O'Neill should be very afraid.

"Good to see you again, Jack," Daniel interrupted.

"Likewise," was O'Neill's only answer. He was still staring at Colonel Carter and Teal'c could see the silent battle that was going on between them. Whatever O'Neill had hoped to achieve by his attempt to protect his companions, then Teal'c knew that he was about to fail.

"This is my decision... my command," O'Neill said.

"I know," Colonel Carter replied. " And I'll follow your orders, sir."

To Teal'c, Colonel Carter looked somewhat relieved that the decision had been taken out of her hands.

"And you... how about you Daniel?"

"You know me, Jack."

Forced into a position he hadn't wanted to be in, O'Neill wanted everyone's agreement before he was willing to go through with this. Teal'c knew what he was asking... permission to cut them off from their only way of getting home. By doing so they would save their world... except no one would ever know what had happened. The memories would be wiped out when history rewrote itself. O'Neill just stared ... long enough that Daniel Jackson was forced to nod his agreement.

"Excellent!" O'Neill grinned.

"When?" Teal'c asked.

"No time like the present. The place should be empty by now."

Now the decision had been made, there was no further hesitation and O'Neill led the way out into the darkened city. They moved through the streets with caution. It was late enough that the place was empty of people. From what Teal'c had seen there was nothing here that could be described as 'nightlife'. This was not as advantageous as some might believe. They could not hide in a crowd and would be clearly visible to anyone who happened to look out of a window.

The city was lit via some unknown source from above. Although dimmed to represent night it was still bright enough to find their way with ease. Since the light source came from directly above there were no shadows to hide in. Their luck, however, held. Teal'c wasn't sure whether it was their skill as warriors or the fact that no one else was awake but they reached the laboratories without detection.

Colonel Carter led them to the place where the time travel device was being held. However, her surprise was palpable when the room she led them to was empty.

"It was here when I left!" she protested.

"They can't have moved it far," O'Neill decided. "We'll split up and look for it."

"No wait... I think I know where it might be."

She took them to the isolation chamber... or make that the place where the isolation chamber had been. Jack waved his hand through the patch of air Colonel Carter was staring at.

"I got nothing," he said.

"We may be too late, O'Neill."

"Take a look around people... there must be something."

The team spread out, however the empty room seemed exactly that.

"Wait a second!" Daniel Jackson exclaimed suddenly.

He was standing pointing at an area of the wall that Teal'c had assumed was purely decorative. There were several red stones embedded within at equidistant intervals. On closer inspection, Teal'c could see that a line of these stones encircled the entire room.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Daniel Jackson said to Colonel Carter.

"But the stones were there when Nick found the tomb."

"I know... but we'd already taken the box. We didn't take all of the stones."

Teal'c looked at O'Neill, wondering if he was managing to follow this conversation. O'Neill had a completely blank expression on his face. He was waiting for the two of them to cease their excited babble and get to the point.

"You thought the stones might have something to do with the box," Daniel Jackson went on.

"So all we have to do..." Colonel Carter continued, "is disrupt the field."

"Teal'c," O'Neill ordered.

Raising his fist, Teal'c smashed the nearest stone. As they watched, the isolation chamber shimmered into existence. To one side he could see what had once been their time travel device. Impressive though the effect was, Teal'c realised that it did not look much like the box which had started al of their problems.

"Sir, I think this might just be a prototype," Colonel Carter said, confirming Teal'c's suspicions. "I think they knew exactly what the time drive was when they found it."

"So you reckon that if we break this one they'll just build another?" O'Neill asked.

"Probably. They know how it works now... and if I were them, I would have made sure I made notes. It wouldn't be easy, but they could reproduce this."

"So where does that leave us?"

"I don't know, sir."

"Can we get home?" Daniel Jackson asked. "It's just that if it's going to happen I think I'd like to be there."

"Carter?" O'Neill asked.

"We can try, sir."

Colonel Carter bent over the time device, her face creased in concentration.

"Perhaps there is another way," Teal'c said.

"You got an idea T?"

"I do not believe that death is the answer. The people here have a method of attracting these creatures. Could we not return with that weapon?"

"And do what? Nuke 'em? As far as I can see that's how this whole mess started."

"Sir, if we could get the creatures in one place then maybe we could..."

"What?"

"Beam them up to the Odyssey and take them someplace else?" Daniel supplied.

O'Neill seemed to consider the idea for a moment, before saying,

"Sounds like a plan. Teal'c go and see if you can get us one of those weapon things. Daniel go with him."

XOXOXO

Getting out what a hell of a lot harder than getting in. As thieves go, SG-1 weren't really the most experienced. The problem was that they hadn't expected to be trying to leave along with a very large Ancient time travel device and what seemed to be an equally large gun. Jack had the gun. He'd never seemed to learn that it wasn't the size of one's weapon that counted... leaving Daniel, Teal'c and Sam to struggle with the time travel device which, as Daniel felt he had to point out, was much heavier than it looked. Sam had muttered something about an unstable form of naquadah being at its heart. Daniel thought she was trying to explain its apparent mass but he had to admit that he was too busy trying not to drop the thing to be listening with any intention. How Jack expected them to be able to get it out of there without detection, he couldn't imagine.

"Wait... wait...wait!" Daniel protested. "Stop... stop for a second."

Carefully, they set the device down and stretched their aching backs. It would have been nice if they had been able to just activate the device in situ but as Sam had pointed out they would have gotten back to 2008 and promptly suffocated. Being trapped inside a mountain of earth and rock was no way to go. However, Daniel wondered who had come up with the insane idea of taking it all the way back to Cheyenne Mountain... Oh yeah... it had been him. Well, next time he'd just have to remember to keep his mouth shut.

Flashing a few almost incomprehensible hand signals at them, Jack trotted off to recce the way ahead. Daniel realised that they probably had a couple of minutes before he got back and decided to use the time to his best advantage and flopped down on the ground.

"Is it my imagination or is this thing getting heavier?" he asked.

"It is not," Teal'c replied.

"I was joking... never mind."

The expression on the big man's was one of amusement. He was standing over Daniel, barely breaking a sweat a grin on his face. The dependence on tretonin didn't seem to have diminished Teal'c's strength at all. However hard Daniel tried his own muscles seemed puny by comparison. A low whistle from up ahead indicated that Jack was ready to go and it was time to take up their burden again.

"Okay, on three," Sam hissed. "One... two... three."

Health and Safety would have field day with this, Daniel thought to himself as he lifted his share of the burden. It was awkward as well as heavy. He hadn't noticed that the streets were so narrow on the way here. To add to their problems they were also going up hill. He had no idea what the time was or how many hours they might have until 'dawn'.

Jack's plan was to load the device onto a shuttle and fly out of here. Daniel just hoped that it would prove to be so simple. So far it seemed as if the plan was working. Even the long climb up the steps out of the city to the main door were achieved without incident. Daniel felt exposed during the climb. His back was to the city, a clear target or so it seemed. It took them nearly an hour to make the ascent then nearly another hour for Sam to get the door open. Daniel did have to admit to himself that he was glad of the rest. By this point even Teal'c was starting to look tired.

"Sooooo," Daniel said when they finally got out. "Does anyone remember the way?"

"Uh... actually...," Sam said and indicated a mark on the wall.

Daniel looked a little more closely. The mark looked like it had been made with lipstick.

"Wyr took me out this way when we went stargazing," she explained. "I thought it might be useful if we could find our way out again."

"Lipstick... you brought lipstick!" Jack exclaimed.

"A girl needs to be prepared," she smiled back at him.

There was silence for a moment, punctuated by the sound of their heavy breathing as they took up their burden once more.

"You went on a date with this guy?" Jack said suddenly.

"No sir. He just wanted to show me the Pegasus Galaxy," she replied.

"Carter, where I come from sitting outside with a girl on a cloudless night and stargazing constitutes a date."

"With due respect sir, a guy has got to buy me dinner and flowers before he gets anywhere near first base."

"Play hard to get do we?"

"Jewellery is good too."

"Candy?"

"It was all in the line of duty, sir."

Daniel would have laughed if he'd had breath to spare... and if he hadn't heard the unmistakable thump of footsteps coming from behind them.

"Run!" Jack ordered, but it was easier said than done. The most Daniel could manage was a slightly demented jog.

Pausing, Jack waited for them to get past him.

"Jack?" Daniel questioned, worried as to what his friend might do.

"Just go!"

There was no room for argument. Teal'c and Sam were already moving and Daniel had no choice but to follow, leaving Jack behind to face their pursuit. They were already some distance away when Daniel first felt the low vibration. It was enough to loosen the fillings in his teeth. But he had little time to wonder because the next thing he felt was an explosion, powerful enough to send them all crashing to the ground. He lay there for a second, hanging onto the time device, waiting for the vibrations to fade away.

Coughing and spluttering... and spitting bits of mercury amalgam out of his mouth, Daniel scrambled to his feet. Looking back the way they had come he could just about make out a dark shape running towards them.

"I brought the roof down," Jack grinned at them. "This thing is cool!"

Sam cast a look in Daniel's direction, partly exasperated and partly amused by this boy and his new toy.

The shuttles were all lined up in the bay. It didn't really matter which one they took, but naturally Jack headed for the one that was furthest away. By the time the rest of SG-1 had staggered over there, he already had the ship fired up and ready to leave. There was no point in expression concern as to whether Jack could fly the ship. For a start Daniel didn't have enough breath to speak. Secondly, Jack probably could fly it so it would be a waste of words... and if he couldn't Teal'c could.

"Strap yourselves in," Jack shouted over his shoulder, barely giving them time to do so before guiding the small ship upwards.

The flight to Cheyenne Mountain was uneventful. Jack was clearly enjoying himself at the controls of the small craft but there was a definite wobble when he set eyes on the Mountain.

"Daniel... what did you do?" he demanded.

"We had to get in somehow," Daniel replied, somewhat sullenly. It was okay for Jack to blow up what he liked but he got antsy it when other people did the same.

"Extreme force suddenly takes on a new definition."

"We only blew it up a little bit,"

"At least we can land the shuttle in the Gateroom," Sam put in.

"If I scratch the paint work..." Jack grumbled.

The banter stopped when they landed in front of the Stargate, the sombre atmosphere affecting them all. Sam's eyes were suspiciously moist as she surveyed the area for the first time.

"Hey?" Jack said to her.

"Sorry, sir," she apologised, bringing herself back to the hear and now. "I'm going to need a naquadah reactor."

"Will they still work after all this time?" Daniel asked.

"I think so. It's the easiest way to power the device. I could use the shuttle but I'm less familiar with the interface and..."

"Ah!" Jack cut her off. "We'll get you the reactor. Anything else?"

XOXOXO

It was weird to be working here, Sam realised as she bent over the time travel device. So familiar and yet... it was freaking her out a little to know that everything was in exactly the same place where she'd left it. Although the others had been helpful when it came to getting what she needed there were some things that Sam needed to look for herself. Powering the device was easy, controlling it was proving to be a little more difficult. She had to admit that she was busking it a little. There were certain things that she would only know she needed when she saw them so there was nothing for it but to go rooting through the silent labs and storage areas. Sam figured that there had to be something of Ancient design that she could cannibalise. Several times she returned to the Gateroom with armfuls of equipment only to realise that it was all completely useless. Not for the first time she wished that the General could recall some of the Ancient information that had been downloaded into his mind... or that it could have stayed there without killing him. As much as Sam hated to admit it, she could really use some help here.

There weren't many occasions that Sam felt stupid but as she sat on the floor surrounded by duct tape, fibre optic cables and tin foil she wondered if she shouldn't just give up physics and breed guinea pigs.

The others were trying to be helpful but even Daniel had given up making suggestions. Somehow he'd managed to find a book that was still readable and was curled up in a corner occasionally exclaiming loudly at the idiocy of the author. General O'Neill had made himself a yo-yo and Teal'c was... being Teal'c.

Sighing, Sam extracted herself from the mound of debris.

"Just going to get more stuff," she told them as she headed out of the Gateroom.

"Ancient, ancient, ancient...," she muttered to herself as she paced the empty corridors. Then she stopped. She had searched her lab but not Daniel's. If she was right there should still be an Ancient device there.

Climbing up ten floors was no problem now she had a goal in mind. Sam barely noticed her exhaustion as she hauled herself up to level 18. She was given an extra boost when she found that she hadn't been mistaken. Arthur's mantle was still there, perched somewhat haphazardly on a pile of papers. Gathering it up in her arms Sam carried carefully back down.

She had it torn apart so fast that Daniel barely had time to notice what she was doing never mind protest at her wholesale destruction of his favourite toy...even though it no longer worked.

Okay, so under other circumstances, Sam might have wished that the interface could have been neater but there was no denying the buzz of energy and the glow of power.

"Knew you could do it, Carter," General O'Neill said.

He was standing over her. How long he had been there she couldn't say. Sam smiled up at him.

"It's not going to send us out of phase, is it?"

"You read the report?"

"It happens."

"No sir, all I've done is used some of the components to create a link between your mind and the device. "

"When do we want to aim for?" Daniel asked.

"Just after we left," Jack said. "We'll screw ourselves up if we get back before."

"O'Neill!"

Teal'c's shout made them all turn and look up at the control room. Narrowing her eyes, Sam could see people moving about in the darkness.

"Crap," O'Neill swore. They were surrounded. Sam helped General O'Neill to his feet and was surprised when he kept hold of her hand. She was even more surprised when he signalled that she should take Daniel's. Then, with his free hand, Daniel reached out to Teal'c. Sam noticed that the weapon was slung over the General's shoulder but he showed no intention of using it.

Wyr stepped into the circle of light. Sam couldn't count how many were with him. She didn't know whether to blame their own exhaustion or their eagerness to get home but these people had snuck up unawares which was an unforgivable mistake.

"We knew you would come here," he said. "Although what you hope to achieve by your theft and deception is a mystery."

"We're going to stop this," General O'Neill smiled.

"This device is basic. We have already developed a more effective prototype."

"I'm an old fashioned guy... I prefer the original."

With that General O'Neill lunged for the device and dragged the rest of SG-1 along with him.


	34. Chapter 34

_Innocent people were going to die, and that was always a difficult choice for any soldier. Landry had balanced the needs of the planet, he had done everything he was supposed to do but he still felt like he'd personally pushed the button _

_Seemingly without conscious thought, he reached for his other phone, the grey one, the one that didn't have the connection with the leader of a nation. Landry dialled an internal number. _

_"Lam," the voice at the other end answered. _

_"It's me," was all Landry said _

_"Something I can do for you sir?" she said _

_He hesitated, just for the briefest moment but it was enough for her to say,_

_"Dad?"_

_"Nothing," he replied, "wrong number." _

_Straightening his uniform, General Hank Landry prepared to address the men and women under his command. He had no idea how this was all going to end but he had to prepare them for the worst. He didn't have much time. The President would give the order within a matter of minutes. If he could just..._

But Landry's train of thought was interrupted by what sounded like a large explosion in the Gateroom.

"What the hell?" he muttered to himself as he strode into the conference room and looked out on the chaos below.

SG-1 were there, battered and bruised but alive. As he watched, General O'Neill left the group and sprinted for the stairs. He pushed past Landry without a word, picking up the red phone before the other man had the chance to protest.

"Mr. President, sir..." he panted, "No it's Jack O'Neill... General Landry's fine... would you cut the crap and listen for a second!

Do not, I repeat do not drop an atomic weapon on Area 51. We've brought back another way to deal with the creatures. Yes... Yes I'm sure, sir. You really, really don't want to do that. Yes... Yes sir. Yes I'll mind my language in future and you can court martial me later. Thank you... I believe you might have just saved the world."

Putting the phone down, Jack sank back into the chair. He closed his eyes and Hank found himself wondering if his friend hadn't drifted off to sleep, but the other general quickly dissuaded him of that notion.

"We need a big ship," Jack mumbled.

"The Odyssey is standing by."

"Good... that's good."

With an audible crack that probably came from the knee area, Jack hauled himself to his feet.

"Need to get to Area 51," he explained.

He looked dead on his feet, they all did. But Landry knew better than to argue with SG-1. They were going to finish this one off together.

"You've looked better my friend," Hank said.

XOXOXO

"You know you don't have to do this, sir."

Jack was tempted to ignore Carter's words. They were on board the Odyssey, in orbit several hundred miles above the Earth's surface and Jack was getting ready to beam down to Area 51. This wasn't the best time to be having any kind of conversation, but he answered her anyway.

"Carter, you've had your own command... you shouldn't have to ask that question."

"I know... I know it's just..."

"Just what?"

"Good luck."

He looked up at her, shaking his head. There always seemed to be something else that she wanted to say... but she never said it. One day, he promised himself, they were going to sit down and have a proper conversation.

Settling his pack on his back, Jack gave the stolen weapon a once over. As far as he could tell it was still full operational, but he wouldn't know for certain until he got down there.

"Make sure you get them all," he reminded her even though it was something that she would never forget.

"I'll make sure," she replied, humouring him.

They had no guarantee that this would work. Or if it did, that it be enough to change the timeline and secure a future for the human race. Jack had managed to talk the President out of launching one nuclear attack, but it had bean on the proviso that they would employ any means necessary to destroy the creatures should this attempt fail. So... no pressure.

"And you're sure the cargo hold is large enough?" he asked.

"It should be, sir... and we'll only have to hold them for a short time."

That was the plan. Beam the creatures up into the cargo hold on the Odyssey and then high tail it to the nearest empty, inhabitable world. Sounded easy. But Jack had to remember that the creatures he would be dealing with were not the same as the ones who had saved his life in the future. These had been held in stasis for hundreds of years. Although they had every right to hate the humans that had done this to them, Jack couldn't afford to be sympathetic. If the President was forced to implement the final solution then Jack knew that he would burn along with them.

Jack didn't want to think about that possibility. He was doing this because it was his job and Carter of all of them should understand that. They needed the best and Jack was it. He remembered all of the doubts that had plagued him a few short months ago but he had no use for them now. This was what he had wanted. A return to action, a chance to prove that he was still the same man and hadn't been changed by his sojourn in Washington.

"How will we know if it's worked?" Jack asked her as they started to walk. He was talking for the sake of it because he knew that she was nervous.

"We may not," Carter replied. "Once the time lines unravel we might just find ourselves back where we started with no memory of these events."

"No memory, huh?"

He couldn't keep the smile off of his face. Carter stopped walking and turned to face him.

"Sir?" she questioned, looking highly suspicious.

"Nothing," he grinned back.

"Why do I get the feeling that there's something you're not telling me?"

They were in an empty corridor, no one around. Jack was tempted, sorely tempted to repeat past events. If he hadn't been a general, in uniform... and if he could have found a way to retire first, he might have risked it. Of course on this occasion there would be no immediate reset, and Jack knew that he risked serious injury if he gave into his impulse.

"Another time," he grinned and started walking again.

He knew that part of Carter's problem was the fact that she was the one who was being left behind. There was no help for it, she had to stay on the ship. The beam out was going to be critical and Carter was the only person that Jack trusted to do the job. She was a good soldier and would follow orders... despite how much he personally pissed her off. He was just taking Teal'c and Daniel as back up. Landry had offered a squad or two of marines, but Jack knew that in this case there would be no safety in numbers. He wanted people he trusted watching his back... people who would think before shooting everything in sight. The object was to save these creatures, not destroy them.

Teal'c and Daniel were both ready and waiting.

"All set?" Jack asked and both men nodded.

"Your transmitters are set to the same frequency as the weapon," Carter said, "You need to set them at equidistant points along the internal perimeter."

"Will they be powerful enough to attract the creatures?" Daniel asked.

"As long as they're still within a twenty mile radius. Judging by the satellite intell we've received, they're not moving that fast."

"Still it's a large area we have to cover... Jack are you sure we don't need more help?"

"Carter?" Jack said, indicating that she should explain.

"Site to site transport," she duly replied. "But you have to make it fast."

"We weren't planning on taking a leisurely stroll, " Daniel muttered.

"Daniel," Jack warned.

"Right... sorry."

"Let's do this. Carter, when you're ready."

XOXOXO

Teal'c listened to his friends bickering with a mixture of annoyance and amusement. He would have thought, after all this time, that he would have grown used to the human method of preparing for battle. There was little meditation or incense involved and when he had first come to Earth he had wondered if they took armed combat seriously. Now he knew that this was their way of facing death and laughing in his face. Teal'c, being Teal'c kept his own council on such matters.

Colonel Carter was to beam them down to different points along the perimeter. O'Neill first, then Daniel Jackson and finally it was Teal'c's turn.

"Good luck," she smiled at him before activating the controls. Teal'c had time to incline his head towards her before he found himself back on planet Earth.

Even though the surroundings were similar, he felt like he was on an alien world. He had rarely set foot on a planet that was so still, so quiet. Neither O'Neill nor Jackson were in sight. It was difficult not to be affected by his surroundings ad Teal'c wasted precious seconds before getting to work.

Reaching into his back pack he drew out one of the transmitters and proceeded to set his first marker.

XOXOXO

There had been a time when Daniel had loved silence, when he had revelled in the peace that it brought to his mind. Silence had meant the chance to study, to fill his mind with the many wonders the universe had to offer. Out here, alone, it was just a prelude to the many bad things that could happen.

He couldn't understand why Jack hadn't asked for back up. Simple math suggested that the more of them there were, the more easily the task could be achieved. However Jack hadn't asked ... sometimes he was funny that way. He didn't like to endanger more people than necessary, a sentiment that Daniel could understand. In fact he was surprised that Jack hadn't insisted on doing the whole job himself. Then again, he probably realised by now the futility of trying to leave SG-1 behind.

Fumbling slightly with his back pack, Daniel managed to dig out one of the transmitters. It was only as he knelt down to activate it that he though he heard something. Scrambling to his feet Daniel brought his P90 to bear on the source of the noise, but there was nothing in sight. This was why he hated silence. It was fine until you did hear something and then the slightest noise put you on edge. That was assuming the noise wasn't a product of an over active imagination.

Jack had given them all explicit instructions on how to deal with the bugs. He had been adamant that it was possible to reason with them. Daniel hadn't failed to appreciate the irony of his friend's words. Usually Jack was the last person to exercise that kind of caution but, if Sam were right, then the creatures here had been driven insane by their captivity.

Looking around again, he made sure the transmitter was active before requesting that Sam beam him to his next location.

XOXOXO

Teal'c didn't know why he was so nervous. He had set three of the transmitters and not seen another living creature. Everything seemed to be going according to plan...

Why then were his palms sweating?

He felt like he was living a nightmare. Even the slightest noise made him reach for his weapon. Somehow not being able to see any of the creatures was more unsettling than doing battle against them. So much so that Teal'c briefly wondered if he weren't 'losing his mojo' as O'Neill might have said. He decided that his unease was caused by the realisation that the fate of the planet rested on his actions. Not an unusual situation for SG-1, but this time there was no uncertainty as to the outcome if he failed. He had seen what this world would become.

"Teal'c? Daniel? You there?" O'Neill's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"I am," Teal'c replied.

"Where else would I be?" Daniel said.

"Just got a message from Carter, she's tracking the bugs," O'Neill went on. "You want the good news or the bad news?"

"O'Neill," Teal'c warned, he was in no mood for word play.

"The transmitters are working. The more transmitters we set up the stronger the signal's getting."

"And?" Daniel questioned.

"And... the creatures are turning back. Carter says they're heading this way. Look sharp people."

Teal'c lifted his eyes to the horizon, trying to detect signs of movement. He thought he could see something, but couldn't be certain. If nothing else, O'Neill's words were enough to spur him him to greater efforts. Cowardly though it felt, he wanted nothing more than to be back on board the Odyssey.

Checking his pack, Teal'c realised that he still had three to do.

XOXOXO

Did they really need all of the transmitters, Daniel wondered to himself as he struggled to get the penultimate device out of his pack. If the creatures were already on their way back was there really any point in setting the rest? They weren't questions he voiced, however. He knew what Jack's reply would be. In fact, Daniel felt guilty about his desire to leave the job half finished. He had some vague idea that they only needed to create the possibility of the creature's defeat in order for the future to be secure. Causality, however, was never accommodating.

He wondered how much time they really had. Every time he looked up it seemed like the creatures were closer. As he set his final transmitter, Daniel wondered how the others were faring.

"Teal'c you there?" he asked, thumbing his radio.

"I am."

"I'm done, how about you?"

"I believe I have one more transmitter to..."

But Teal'c's reply was cut off in a burst of static and Daniel didn't even stop to think.

"Sam, beam me to Teal'c's position!" he yelled into his radio. There was a momentary dislocation before Daniel found himself someplace else. Precious seconds ticked by as he took in the scene. There was only a single creature but it had Teal'c in it's claws. The two were struggling, each apparently unable to gain an advantage. Raising his P90, Daniel circled them warily but was unable to get a clear shot.

"Daniel Jackson!" Teal'c shouted, drawing Daniel's attention towards the final transmitter.

"Right!"

Letting his weapon drop, Daniel knelt down beside the device, flipping the switch to turn it on. The next thing he knew, he was flat on his back, pinned down by the creature. As illogical as it might seem, it was as if it knew what they were trying to do and wanted to stop them. Daniel's knife was at his back and, as much as he twisted and turned he couldn't reach the only weapon that would be effective at this close range. He wondered if it would do any good to try and explain that they were actually trying to help.

Daniel never had the chance to find out. With pure brute force, Teal'c tore the creature off Daniel. Whilst it was struggling to regain its feet, he dug his knife into its underbelly, tearing it from front to back. All Daniel could do was lay there panting as it died.

"I'm okay," he said.

"As am I," Teal'c replied. "My thanks Daniel Jackson."

The stench was revolting, as if it were already three days dead. Taking the hand Teal'c offered, Daniel hauled himself up.

"Er... guys... we have a problem here," Sam's voice cut through the silence.

"What?" Jack's voice replied. He sounded hassled. Daniel could hear the rattle of automatic weapons fire.

"Now that all of the transmitters are functional I'm having trouble distinguishing your life signs."

"Meaning what?"

"You'll have to leave the perimeter before I can get you out of there."

"Of course we do... Daniel, Teal'c what's your position?"

"Er... about a klick South of you," Daniel replied.

"Stay there. I'm on my way."


	35. Chapter 35

Crap... crap... crap...

Jack had given up expecting life to be easy some time ago however he found himself wondering why they never, ever, seemed to catch a break. He'd managed to secure himself in one of the facilities restrooms and had hoped that Carter would be able beam him up from there. Poking his head through one of the tiny windows and looking outside he could see that keeping his promise to Daniel and Teal'c would be easier said than done.

Damn... Damn... Damn...

There was a jeep just across from the building he was in, but the area in between was swarming with creatures. Jack was starting to wish that he's asked the others to come and rescue him.

Pulling out a grenade, Jack lobbed it through the window and headed for the door. The concussion from the blast was enough to shake the building and he found himself coughing up a lung from the dust.

Once outside, it only took him a moment to realise that not all of the creature had been disabled by the explosion. He tried not to look at those that were injured... feebly moving in their attempts to live. Jack closed his mind to the horror and focused on the fact that he had managed to lessen the odds. For good measure he dropped a second grenade... just before he started to run. The second explosion was strong enough to knock Jack over but he rolled to his feet, adrenaline being enough to blind him the pain. Something clutched at him, but Jack tore himself free and kept on running. It wasn't more than a hundred yards. Just over ten seconds during his college days, but it felt like so much more.

Don't blow up the car... don't blow up the car...

The mantra kept running through his head. He had one more grenade which he hurled over his shoulder as he gained the safety of the vehicle. The creatures were growing wary, he noticed. They were definitely holding back, giving him enough time to fire the ignition before surging towards him once more. Flooring the gas, Jack drove through them, trying not to wince at the distinctive crunch as their bodies fell under the wheels of the jeep. He was forced to fling his arm across his face to deflect the flying body parts.

It didn't take him long to make Daniel and Teal'c's position.

"Get in!" he yelled as he skidded to a halt in front of them.

They both stared at him, wasting precious seconds. He was certain that there were more creatures behind him than he remembered and they were gaining every second. Damn it but the things could move fast.

"Sometime this week!"

"Er... Jack maybe one of us should drive?" Daniel suggested.

Ignoring him, Jack revved the engine, making as if he were prepared to leave without them. Both men got the message and scrambled into the jeep. The proximity of the creatures clearly overcoming whatever dumb objections they had.

Jack hoped that the creatures would keep their distance. The open topped vehicle didn't provide the best protection and for a few moments he was reassured. That was until, with a deafening scream, one launched itself from the top of the building and landed more by luck than judgement in the back of the jeep. Swearing to himself, Jack wrenched the wheel, spinning the vehicle around in his attempts to dislodge the creature.

"Carter!" he yelled into his radio.

Concentrating on driving he hoped that Carter was intuitive enough to realise that they needed help... even though he wasn't quite sure what she could do about it. Beam them up, beam everything up... he didn't care.

"Hold on sir!" she replied.

Behind him, he could vaguely sense that Teal'c was wrestling with the creature but as soon as he had managed to shove it from the moving vehicle another seemed to take its place. In attracting the creatures to this place they'd been hoisted on their on petard... as the saying went.

"Sir, I need you to stop!" Carter's voice said.

"This may not be the best time," Jack replied.

He needed to get a good run of speed to break through the wall of creatures that had suddenly appeared in front of them.

"Now, sir!" she pushed.

Jack put his foot on the brake and the jeep skidded to a halt. The next thing he knew, Carter was standing in front of them. Loaded for bear, for some bizarre reason she reminded Jack of an avenging angel. He saw her raise the grenade launcher to her shoulder,

"Fire in the hole!" he shouted as he rolled out of the jeep, taking shelter underneath. There were two explosions, one to the front and one to the rear before Carter gave them the all clear. Again the creatures had been driven back, but Jack was painfully aware that it wouldn't be for long. Crawling out he tried to stand up... only to find that his right leg wouldn't support his weight. Looking down he noticed that he was bleeding.

"It's okay, sir, we'll get you out of here," Carter said.

"I thought you said our life signs..." Daniel began.

"Couldn't be distinguished. I know... but this can."

Jack couldn't work out what she was holding. Now that he knew he was bleeding he didn't particularly care. He just wanted out of there. Someone gripped his hand and he vaguely heard Carter give an order.

XOXOXO

The General was injured, badly. His blood flowing freely over the pristine deck of the Odyssey, but Sam didn't have time to help him. Sam knew that she'd been taking a chance that none of the the creatures being close enough to get caught in the beam up, but they were blissfully alone. General O'Neil''s leg was a mess, the muscles torn to shreds by the creatures and it sickened Sam to know that humans had made them this way.

Letting go of the General's hand she left him with Teal'c and Daniel whilst she attended to the final part of their mission. The transmitters only had a finite power supply. Now Sam had seen the situation first hand, she felt doubt creep into her mind. Could the Odyssey hold these creatures? There were so many more of them than she had expected.

A bunch of medics bundled into the room and gathered around the General. Trying to ignore the fact that her commanding officer was bleeding to death in front of her, Sam bent over the controls. Judging by the readings she was getting, the life signs were all gathered within the radius she had defined. It was now or never.

The actual transferral was an anticlimax. Sam had to check her instruments to make sure that the creatures were now on board the Odyssey. Only when she was satisfied did she inform the bridge crew.

"Tell Colonel Emerson ... we've got them."

Sam slumped backwards against the nearest wall, suddenly exhausted. As she watched, the medics lifted General O'Neill onto a stretcher and carried him away.

"Where are we taking them?" Daniel asked.

"Ernest's planet," Sam replied, "It's relatively close and we've surveyed it pretty thoroughly. They'll have it to themselves. "

Not for the first time Sam was grateful for the speed of these ships. They would make orbit in a couple of hours. In a Goa'uld Tel'tak the journey would have been impossibly long.

Slowly, the three of them followed the medics.

Sam found herself wondering if this was it, if they'd finally managed to avert the future. She certainly didn't feel any different. Just tired. They all were. Even Teal'c seemed on the point of collapse.

The wait to see General O'Neill seemed interminable. He was actually awake when they gathered around his bedside but like them seemed as if he were just waiting for the reassurance that all was well before losing consciousness.

"Get them all?" he asked.

"As far as I can tell. General Landry's sending in a clean up team. they should be able to deal with any isolated creatures."

"And we can hold them?"

"Unless they can chew through metal."

"Good ... that's good."

"We'll be home soon, Jack," Daniel said.

"You need to rest, O'Neill," Teal'c added.

"Yeah... Yeah... Think I'll just sleep for a while. Wake me up when we get there."

His eyes fluttered shut. Daniel and Teal'c crept out, leaving Sam to watch the General sleep for a few minutes longer. He would be fine she reassured herself as he started to snore. Unable to face walking all the way to her quarters, Sam hauled herself onto one of the other bends in the small infirmary, her heavy limbs grateful for the limited softness of the infirmary mattress.

"Carter?" the General's voice hissed, breaking into her thoughts.

"What is it sir?"

"I've been thinking."

"Sir?"

"The creatures... where did they come from in the first place?"

Sam turned her head to look at him. General O'Neill certainly picked his moments. She realised that it was only now, now they were safe, that he took the time to think about it. But Sam's brain really wasn't in any fit state to answer metaphysical questions. The truth was that she didn't know. They seemed to be a result of a quirk in the space time continuum ... of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Their presence had created the world that sent them back in time... and it was giving her a headache. Now that the circle had been broken who knew what there fate would be.

"We might never know," she admitted.

There was silence for a moment, but Sam knew that the General was still awake.

"Carter?"

"Sir, I'm tired," she replied.

"One more question... We were the ones to give the future humans the technology to send the box back in time?"

"That's right."

"But now we've stopped that world ever happening?"

"I hope so."

"So how come the box still got sent back and the creatures are in the cargo hold?"

"It's complicated, sir."

"I thought it might be."

"We have to look at this from the perspective of our own personal timeline. The future was real whilst we were there and we didn't stop them sending the box back. Therefore, the past we experienced was created but it's only now we're back that we've cancelled out that possibility."

The explanation sounded weak even to her own ears. It may not have been good enough but for now it would have to do.

"What's going to happen now?"

"I'm going to sleep, sir."

"'kay... night."

"Goodnight, sir."

They would both sleep ... just for a little while.

XOXOXO

**Epilogue - Back to the Start**

Daniel put down the pages ripped from Nick's journal and glanced across at Sam ...he'd been so damn sure but there was nothing in the writings that related to stones, glowing or otherwise.

"Dead end," he admitted.

This wasn't the way to find the Sangraal. Now the excitement of the apparent breakthrough had faded he wondered if they hadn't just been on the wrong track all along. Likelihood was that the alien device was based on some unknown element or compound but it wouldn't be found on Earth.

"What time is it?" Sam asked as they started to gather together the various papers that had been strewn across the lab.

"Nearly 6AM," he replied.

"Breakfast?"

"Sure."

Dumping the paper on his already overcrowded desk, he followed Sam out of the room.

THE END

A/N Just wanted to thank everyone for the reviews and for sticking with the story.


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